Latest EPA Climate Data Points to Government Side lining of Climate Action

EPA warns Ireland remains far off track for 2030 targets and legally-binding carbon budgets, as Government inaction leaves households exposed to volatile, expensive fossil fuels

Friends of the Earth has described the latest EPA projections for Ireland’s polluting emissions as amounting to a side-lining of climate action by the Government, which is leaving households exposed to expensive, volatile fossil fuels.

While Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions are declining, the EPA projections show that even with full implementation of planned policies, emissions would be reduced by only 25% by 2030, which is less than half of the national target of 51%. The EPA also notes that while Ireland should largely meet its first legally binding carbon budget, all of the main sectors are projected to exceed their emissions limits from 2026 to 2030 meaning the second carbon budget will likely be missed. It further projects that Ireland will deliver at best just over half (23%) of its separate EU climate target. [1]

Commenting, Deirdre Duffy, CEO of Friends of the Earth, said:

The EPA’s findings are bitterly disappointing but not surprising. This is no longer a warning sign, it is a flashing alarm that Ireland is failing to treat climate breakdown with the seriousness it demands. It is unacceptable that the Government is failing its own Programme for Government commitments to meet key climate targets and decisively reduce fossil fuel reliance.[ 2] 

The longer that action is delayed, the more expensive the fixes become. The Government’s weak climate planning increases fossil fuel dependence, directly impacting household bills. The Middle East conflict has most recently exposed Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels. We need a massive acceleration in retrofitting, rooftop solar, clean heating, and targeted supports for those most at risk, as detailed in recent Friends of the Earth analysis. [3] Polling has consistently shown that the vast majority of the public agree with this approach. [4]

The choices being made now will shape the safety, cost of living and wellbeing of communities for decades to come. We urgently need climate action placed at the centre of Government decision-making, not treated as an afterthought.

Jerry Mac Evilly, Head of Policy Change at Friends of the Earth, said:

Despite strong and sustained public support for faster and fairer climate action, there appears to be little urgency by Government to address this disturbing trend. This EPA warning comes just days after the Department confirmed to the Oireachtas that work on the 2026 Climate Action Plan is only beginning despite already being six months late [5].  Ministers have not presented to the Oireachtas on how to get us back on track, despite obligations under climate law. [6] The Government has also failed to respond to repeated warnings from not only the EPA but also the SEAI and the Climate Change Advisory Council that emissions reductions are not occurring anywhere near the pace required and that there are systemic gaps across almost every major policy area. [7]

Instead of accelerating climate action and protecting those most at risk, the Government continues to support policies that increase emissions and deepen fossil fuel dependence. The past six months have witnessed the Government produce three proposed bills with provisions which would expressly weaken compliance with climate law. New policies in support of data centres and the development of an LNG terminal also risk locking Ireland further into even worse fossil fuel dependence at precisely the moment emissions need to fall sharply. [8]

Notes:

[1] The latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) greenhouse gas emissions projections for the period 2025-2055 are available here -https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/climate-change/air-emissions/EPA-GHG-Projections-2025-2030-Web.pdf 

[2] Programme for Government 2025, p. 50 https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/programme-for-government-securing-irelands-future.pdf  

[3] See ‘Friends of the Earth Ireland report, From Crisis to Security: Ireland’s Path to Fair Bills and Clean Energy’. The report has 50 recommendations for Government aimed at tackling energy poverty, improving energy security and accelerating the transition to clean, homegrown energy.https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/assets/files/pdf/from_crisis_to_security_-_irelands_path_to_fair_bills_and_clean_energy.pdf  

[4] See polling from Ireland Things on behalf of Friends of the Earth: more than 4 out of 5 Irish people – 82% of the population - support a move away from fossil fuels backed by a considered clean energy plan. As part of reducing reliance on fossil fuels, 86% of the public support policies aimed at making electricity in Ireland cheaper, more secure and widely accessible. https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/press/new-research-reveals-more-than-4-out-of-5-irish-people-suppo/ 

[5] See https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/committee_of_public_accounts/2026-05-21/speech/442/

[6] Section 14 of the Climate Act establishes a reporting and accountability mechanism for Ministers, with oversight by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action. Under the Act, Ministers must attend before a Joint Oireachtas Committee to give an account of progress under the most recent Climate Action Plan, greenhouse gas trends, compliance with carbon budgets, and any measures envisaged to address failures to so comply, following the publication of the most recent EPA inventory and projections and the Climate Change Advisory Council’s annual review.

[7] See for example CCAC Annual Review 2026 - Electricity https://www.climatecouncil.ie/councilpublications/annualreviewandreport/CCAC-AR2026-2-electricity-final.pdf; Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. (2025). Energy in Ireland 2025 Report https://www.seai.ie/sites/default/files/publications/Energy-in-Ireland-2025.pdf 

[8] See Critical Infrastructure Bill, and General Schemes of the Strategic Emergency Gas Reserve Bill, Dublin Airport Passenger Cap Bill. See also the General Scheme of the Private Wires Bill, the CRU Large Energy Users Connection Policy and the Government’s Large Energy User Action Plan