Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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19. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position as of July 2025 on the Programme for Government commitment to deliver actions to achieve a 51% reduction in emissions from 2018 to 2030 and net-zero emissions no later than 2050; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39953/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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This Government is firmly committed to delivering on Ireland’s responsibility to address the climate crisis and to achieving our legally binding targets of a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050.

Emissions data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows our policies are having an impact. Ireland’s emissions have now fallen for the third consecutive year, reaching their lowest level in three decades. Emissions decreased by 2% in 2024 and have fallen by 10.6% between 2021 and 2024. This has been achieved against a backdrop of strong economic growth and a population increase of nearly 50% since 1990, demonstrating a real decoupling of economic activity from emissions.

However, the Government fully acknowledges the recent EPA projections which make it clear that while we are moving in the right direction, we are not yet moving fast enough to meet our ambitious 2030 targets. While these projections are not predictions, and are based on an assumed set of circumstances, they do serve to highlight the scale of the challenge and underscore the need to accelerate the pace of change. A key focus for the Government is therefore on accelerated delivery.

To that end, cross-departmental taskforces are in place to drive implementation across all sectors. Governance arrangements have been strengthened and the new Climate Action Programme Board, comprising senior officials from key departments, have held two meetings since May. Its core remit is to focus on the accelerated delivery of the actions required to close the emissions gap identified by the EPA.

Climate Action Plan 2025, published in April, sets out a comprehensive agenda to ramp up this response. We are undergoing a renewables-led energy transformation, backed by a €2.5 billion programme of grid upgrades. Renewable electricity generation has increased fivefold since 2005; indeed, last February, onshore wind provided 48% of Ireland’s power. We are also prioritising a major expansion of our offshore wind capacity.

Action is being accelerated in other key areas. The switch to electric vehicles is gathering pace, with 23% more EVs sold in April 2025 than in April 2024. The national retrofitting programme is scaling up, hitting an average of 1,000 retrofits per week in 2024. The Solar for Schools Programme is being rolled out at pace, with over 1,000 installations completed and all remaining eligible schools to receive their panels within 18 months.

This Government is committed to accelerating climate action and bridging the gap to our legally binding targets. The measures outlined above, driven by the strengthened delivery structures now in place, provide a clear pathway to achieving that acceleration.