Ireland’s EU targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and 2030 will be “extremely challenging”, according to Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment Richard Bruton.

Speaking at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Climate Conference 2019, the minister highlighted Ireland’s poor track record on climate change policy.

“Ireland has been under-performing on climate policy delivery for a number of years. Meeting Ireland’s EU targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and 2030 will be extremely challenging,” Minister Bruton told attendees at the conference.

“In response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the imperative to step up Ireland’s domestic policy ambition to meet our EU targets, the Government has agreed to the preparation of an all-of-government climate plan to make Ireland a leader in climate action,” the minister added.

The plan will set out the actions to deliver the investment priorities already earmarked in the National Development Plan (NDP) for substantial Exchequer funding.

“It will also include further actions that will look to taxation, regulation and behavioural change policies,” the minister said.

“This will not be a static plan. It will be monitored, measured and delivered – and will also be updated every year.

“We will be in a strong position to adjust our priorities, to correct our course in the context of the best available evidence,” Minister Bruton asserted.