In a somewhat unusual twist in events, Minister for Climate Action, Communication Networks and Transport Eamon Ryan has welcomed the Supreme Court decision to quash the previous government’s climate change plans.
The Supreme Court has today, Friday, July 31, quashed the Irish government’s National Mitigation Plan 2017-2022, in the most recent development in ‘Climate Case Ireland’.
Also Read: Government’s climate change plan quashed by Supreme CourtMinister Ryan has welcomed the court’s judgement, saying: “I congratulate Friends of the Irish Environment for taking this important case.
“It is significant that this was a unanimous judgement of seven members of the Supreme Court, reflecting the importance of climate change as an existential challenge to humanity.
The court has found that the National Mitigation Plan fails to comply with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 because it doesn’t set out how the national transition objective of decarbonising Irish society is to be achieved.
“The scientific consensus is clear; we must cut CO2 emissions in half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.”
Minister Ryan said this judgement must be used to “raise ambition, to empower action and to ensure that our shared future delivers a better quality of life for all”.
However, he added that his department will need to “carefully examine the decision and consider its implications”.
New policies to come…
Since the 2017 National Mitigation Plan was published, the previous government produced the Climate Action Plan 2019, which is designed to “fully deliver Ireland’s 2030 emissions reduction target of 30%”, according to Minister Ryan.
“The new government is now committed to an average 7% per annum reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030, and to achieving net zero emissions by 2050,” he continued.
“A key aspect of delivering upon this commitment will be setting our 2050 target in law through the Climate Action Bill, which will be introduced in the Dáil within the first 100 days of government.”