Looking back: The people-powered campaign that got us the Climate Law

Five years ago, on this day, Ireland’s Climate Law was passed, marking a landmark moment in Irish climate policy, and importantly, the power of collective action in bringing about change. 

On Friday, 16th July 2021, Ireland’s new Climate Bill passed its final vote, with all parties in the Seanad supporting it. Just a few weeks prior, the Dáil had passed the Bill by an incredible 129 votes to 10! And on 23rd July 2021, the then President Michael D. Higgins signed the Climate Act into law.

It was arguably one of the biggest victories the environmental movement had since defeating nuclear power at Carnsore over 40 years before. The Climate Act has transformed climate governance in Ireland by replacing voluntary political commitments with a legally binding framework. The Act holds Government, public bodies and policymakers accountable for delivering emissions reductions.  

The idea for the Climate Law sprouted over two decades ago, in April 2005. It took three four-year campaigns led by Friends of the Earth, over 16 years, with ten different climate Bills introduced in the Oireachtas, before we finally got the Climate Act 2021 passed into law. An academic review found the new Irish climate law was “in the realms of international best practice”. 

Securing the passing of robust climate legislation and legally binding emissions targets in Ireland wouldn’t have happened without the tireless action of Friends of the Earth supporters, who took action with us time and time again. Every email or conversation with a TD, every e-action taken, every euro donated, every effort to stay informed and speak up, every act of mobilisation and organising in communities— together, it’s these actions that resulted in one of the most robust pieces of legislation ever in the history of the country. We are so grateful to all of our supporters for every single effort.

Friends of the Earth supporters sent thousands, if not tens of thousands, of emails and held hundreds of conversations with TDs during that time. We convened a diverse array of allies along the way, from our partners in the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition to the Irish Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change.

At the core of Friends of the Earth’s mobilisation work, which galvanised coalitions and grassroots groups across the country, was the principle of “bringing policy to people and people to policy”. From regular webinars and events to impart understanding of key climate justice issues to online ‘callathons’ where people would ask policy experts questions and thereafter call their TDs, there was an array of public engagement efforts. We helped people with the information and support they needed to organise in their local communities and take action. 

In the months preceding the passing of the Bill, we, at Friends of the Earth, had to fight very hard to stop the Government watering down the Bill in the face of sustained lobbying by big polluters. We didn’t win every battle, not every line of the Bill is written the way we would write it. But all the core elements we campaigned for since 2007 are there and the final Bill is so much stronger than the previous 2015 law. 

As our CEO at the time, Oisín Coghlan, put it back then: 

This (the Climate Bill’s passage into law) is the end of a marathon campaign, and the start of a sprint: the race to zero pollution fast enough to prevent complete climate breakdown and fairly enough to leave no one behind.

We’ve kept this race going to ensure the Government actually adopts and implements the policies and measures we need to eliminate emissions and make people’s lives better. However, the Government’s implementation of the Climate Law has been poor, and alarmingly, in some cases, there have been significant roll-backs of the law. 

Our Government is letting energy and water guzzling data centres run riot across our beautiful island, harming our environment and communities. Due to the rapid expansion of data centres in the country, ordinary people in Ireland have effectively been paying a hidden data centre tax on their electricity bills, with hundreds of millions of euros drained from household income over the past decade. [1] Data centre expansion is also deepening Ireland’s dependence on dirty, expensive fossil fuels. Far too many people are forced to live in cold, poorly insulated and unhealthy homes, thanks to the Government’s failure to get us off fossil fuel heating. 

Just in the past month, we've seen the Government disapplying Section 15 of the Climate Law across three key pieces of legislation - the Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve (LNG) Bill, the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill, and the Critical Infrastructure Act. 

The Government only allowed two hours of debate each to the LNG Bill and the Passenger Capacity Bill in the Dáil, and rammed them through all stages of the Dáil before the summer recess. Both the Bills, which will result in a €900m polluting gas terminal in Clare, and the lifting of the Dublin Airport’s passenger cap, were passed.

At a time when the Government should be pulling out all the stops to end our dependence on fossil fuels - the very reason why we're grappling with both high energy bills and extreme weather - they’re pushing for (new) dirty, expensive fossil fuel infrastructure through the LNG Bill. 

The Government’s decision to guillotine both these Bills represents an extraordinary attempt to avoid proper parliamentary scrutiny of legislation that will lock Ireland into higher emissions for decades and see us renege on our climate obligations. 

This raises fundamental questions about democratic accountability. The Government cannot meaningfully examine legislation, involving almost €1 billion in public expenditure, major increases in emissions and significant health impacts for communities, in just two hours. There was also no comprehensive climate, biodiversity or environmental impact assessment of the LNG project. The public was effectively being asked to sign a blank cheque for major new fossil fuel infrastructure without knowing its full environmental cost, biodiversity impacts or long-term financial risks. That is simply not good law-making.

The Oireachtas was reduced to a legislative conveyor belt simply because the parliamentary calendar was running out. Rushing complex, climate-significant legislation through the Oireachtas weakens our democracy and diminishes the role of elected representatives. 

Let’s also not forget that as a wealthy nation - in fact, one of the wealthiest in the world - with the second highest greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the EU, Ireland has a moral obligation to do its fair share in reducing polluting emissions. [2] After all, the richest 20 per cent of nations are responsible for 44 per cent of the global ecological overshoot. [3]

Now more than ever, we need to put up a fight and let the Government know that this cannot continue. The Government cannot disregard democracy and our legally binding climate obligations. They cannot prioritise polluters over people.

Deirdre Duffy, our CEO, says,

Five years ago, Ireland showed what is possible when ordinary people organise together for progressive change. The Climate Act fundamentally changed how climate policy is made in Ireland by making climate action a legal obligation rather than a political choice. We know from successive opinion polls that Irish people worry about climate change and want the Government to do more - and faster. [4] 

But anniversaries are not only about looking back. Today, this Government risks undermining the very framework it once described as one of the most important pieces of legislation in the history of the State. The Climate Act only works if governments respect and implement it.

Strong and visible public opposition to the Government is vital in holding them accountable and bringing about change. Keep an eye out here on our website and social media platforms to keep abreast of all the actions we can take together - be it a Cuppa for Climate; educational workshops; petitions; leafleting; mass letter writing initiatives; attending marches, demonstrations or hustings - because as we always say, together, our collective voice is louder, our actions more significant, and our impact greater.

And for those of you who are in a position to give financially, thank you for every single gift. Our supporter income is the bedrock of our independence and influence, it’s the pot of money that enables us to respond to the moment and face these challenges head on. Our most important, impactful and urgent work is reliant on you. If you can, please consider donating today to support our work in holding the Government to account on the Climate Law.

Donate today 

Together, we can build the political will for the positive transformation we need. We just have to look back at history to see how big changes, that once seemed impossible, were made possible when ordinary people came together and pushed for change. 

Besides, climate scientists have emphasised ad nauseam that every fraction of a degree of warming matters. To put it simply, you’re never too late or too small to help. So let's continue to organise, persist and push for action. Together, let’s show our Government we have not and will not go away until they act. 

However you contribute, whether it’s taking e-actions, amplifying our messages on social media, participating in webinars or courses, giving money, calling your TDs or organising in your local community, it all makes a difference. We each add our grains of sand to the scales and over time we tip the balance towards action, inclusion and justice. Together, we can bring about the system change needed for a just world where people and nature thrive. 

Notes: 

[1]https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/news/the-cost-of-data-centre-growth-in-ireland-households-paid-an-estimated-715-million-more-in-electrici/

[2]https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-eiigcc/environmentalindicatorsireland2025-globalcontextandclimate/

[3]https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/01/03/worldview-if-the-population-of-the-world-lived-like-the-irish-wed-need-33-earths-to-accommodate-us/

[4]A large majority of people in Ireland (81%) are worried about climate change, including 34% who describe themselves as “very worried”. https://www.ipsosbanda.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Climate-Change-in-the-Irish-Mind-Wave-2-Report-1.pdf and https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/press/new-poll-shows-fianna-fail-and-fine-gael-voters-want-more-cl/ and https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-eiigcc/environmentalindicatorsireland2025-globalcontextandclimate/.