Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2026
179. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether mechanisms and actions will be put in place in the Climate Action Plan 2026 to address the emissions gap arising out of the exceedance of the first carbon budget (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27660/26]
View answerThis Government is committed to delivering on Ireland’s responsibility to address the climate crisis and work remains ongoing across Government Departments to carry out climate mitigation efforts every day, and the rollout of retrofitting, renewable energy deployment, and more affordable electric vehicles continues at pace.
Ireland now has the lowest level of GHG emissions in 35 years which is notable given concurrent demographic and economic growth including an increase of approximately 1.5 million people, more than one million new homes and over one million extra vehicles on our roads. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) most recent emissions reporting confirms that Ireland has recorded overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions for a third consecutive year, with a decrease of 6.8% in 2023 followed by a further 2% reduction in 2024.
We are making significant strides toward our target of 80% renewable energy by 2030, having now reached the major milestone of 8GW onshore renewable electricity generation. We are now prioritising the development of our offshore wind capacity. We have doubled our wind energy capacity over the past 10 years, and in February wind energy provided a record 50% of our electricity. The Government has also approved an unprecedented investment of €18.9 billion in Grid for the period 2026 – 2030 which is fundamental to the electrification of homes, businesses and transport. The 2025 ZEVI target for electrical vehicle sales of 195,000 was surpassed in October 2025, with sales now at 212,000 and I have recently announced an unprecedented package of new and enhanced grants for homeowners across the country who are looking to benefit from home energy upgrades under the National Residential Retrofit Plan.
The latest EPA reporting projects that the first carbon budget will be exceeded, however it worth noting that the EPA's projections are updated annually in light of delivery progress and emerging data. For example, the EPA's assessment of exceedances from the first carbon budget has improved significantly over the last two years. The report which they released in 2023 projected an exceedance of between 37 MtCO2eq. (12%) and 45 MtCO2eq. (15%) under the WAM and WEM scenarios respectively. In contrast, their latest report released in 2025 projected a much smaller exceedance of between 8 MtCO2eq. (2.7%) and 12 MtCO2eq. (4%).
This shows that our progress on delivery is having a significant impact which is being reflected in ongoing revisions to the projections. Nevertheless, the projected exceedance will fall to be addressed in the next Climate Action Plans through a variety of mechanisms including an increase in ambition of existing measures as well as the addition of new measures and actions.
In the meantime our ongoing efforts are supported by Climate Action Plan 2025, in tandem with its predecessor, Climate Action Plan 2024, both of which remain in place and provide a strong framework for continued delivery of climate action across all sectors, given that many of the measures and actions in these plans are multi-annual in nature and effect. Work remains ongoing across Government Departments to deliver on these commitments and carry out climate mitigation efforts every day, supported by recently enhanced governance and delivery arrangements.
