What Government does now is acid test for Micheál Martin’s legacy

Commenting on the EPA emissions projections figures published today, which indicate Ireland will only reduce its climate-changing pollution by 23% by 2030, rather than the 51% benchmark in the 2021 Climate Act, and the 29% indicated last year, Oisín Coghlan, Public Policy Advisor to the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, said:

“These EPA figures are alarming and shocking. Ireland is going backwards on the path to a pollution free future. The new Government simply isn’t implementing the policies and measures in the Climate Action Plan fast enough. In fact, it seems to be stalling rather than accelerating action to reduce emissions.

“What the Government does now, in response to these figures, will be the acid test of Micheál Martin’s commitment to deliver the Programme for Government, which reaffirmed Ireland’s legally binding limits on polluting emissions to 2030 and promised ‘decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels’.

“Micheál Martin has consistently, and correctly, said that climate change is an existential threat and the ‘defining challenge of our generation’. Under his leadership Fianna Fáil proposed the Dáil declaration of a climate and biodiversity emergency five years ago. Now he has to show political leadership that reflects that rhetoric, or the reputation he has built up for taking climate change seriously will be in tatters.”

If the Taoiseach is serious about fulfilling his Government’s commitments on climate there are five immediate steps he can take:

• Introduce a moratorium on any new data centres that won’t be running on 100% renewables, new and additional renewables, from the start.
• Reinstate the ban on commercial LNG imports, which would simply increase our dependence on fossil gas, and pause plans to build a state gas reserve until there’s an independent assessment of whether our existing oil reserves, interconnection and battery storage could provide the back up power we need.
• Reinstate the commitment to spend twice as much on new public transport as on new roads and adopt the Moving Together strategy shelved last year to reduce congestion and traffic pollution. Commit to safe routes to school for all cyclists and walkers.
• Use the Infrastructure and Climate Fund, and the EU’s Social Climate Fund, to retrofit 100% of social housing and to put solar panels on every school, church, sports club and community hall by 2030.
• Take immediate action to actually reduce agricultural emissions. Fertilizer prices are dropping and the gains from lower fertilizer use over the last couple of years are at risk. Take action to cap fertilizer use at current levels. Follow the science, which is clear that reducing methane is the “emergency hand brake” for emissions. 29% of our emissions come from methane, the government simply has to take action to reduce that in line with our legally binding pollution limits.

Notes:

1. The EPA press release is here: https://www.epa.ie/news-releases/news-releases-2025/epa-projections-show-ireland-off-track-for-2030-climate-targets.php
2. The EPA report itself is here: https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/climate-change/air-emissions/irelands-greenhouse-gas-emissions-projections-2024-2055.php