Ireland 'a fair bit off' achieving EU mandated climate targets for 2030

Dublin City Council's Climate Action Coordinator has said Ireland has a long way to go to meet climate targets for 2030, greenhouse gas reduction on track to meet less than half of current goal

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 13:27, 06 Aug 2026 View Image Stock image (Image: lamyai via Getty Images)

Ireland is “a fair bit off” reaching climate targets for 2030 according to Dublin City Council's Climate Action Coordinator.

Ireland aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels is a major ambition of the Climate Action Plan . But, a key figure within DCC’s climate team expressed doubt that this goal can be reached within such a short timeframe as global uncertainties and geopolitical tensions have impacted climate ambitions in recent years.

Speaking on the council-run podcast ‘What’s the Story, Dublin?’ last May, Climate Action Coordinator Dr Sabrina Dekker outlined the challenges faced by local authorities to develop regional adaptational plans for national ambitions. As one of four Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs), Dr Dekker assists with delivering climate objectives for the Dublin metropolitan area.

Recent projections from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that greenhouse gas emissions could achieve a reduction of up to 25% by 2030, significantly less than the national target of 51%. Clearly, progress is being made, but the hard data demonstrates it is not being made at a fast enough rate to keep up with promises made to the European Union and the Irish public.

Although Ireland was close to meeting its first 'carbon budget' which set a cap on emissions from 2021 to 2025, the country is failing to meet them low enough to meet the second budget which runs until 2030. Ireland has a legal obligation to reduce emissions 42% by 2030, but EPA projects only hitting about 23%.

Dr Dekker stressed that 2030 is not so far away and it is a deadline that experts are now thinking more in terms of months than years. She said that Ireland has work to do, but that this is a crisis where “everybody globally needs to be doing work” and “we all have a responsibility” in reaching worldwide climate aims.

DCC’s climate plan seeks to prepare the city for the known impacts of climate change. Flooding, sea level rise, extreme weather events and drought are only becoming more frequent, with Dr Dekker explaining that “shortages in food supply, crops failing, people losing their homes ” are increasing concerns across the planet.

“I think it’s a question of how do you as a citizen or government move the giant boat of policy and decision-makers. It does take time and it’s hard because it is a complex problem. There is no magic bullet - but there’s a bunch of magic solutions that we have and can be doing,” she said.

“It can feel overwhelming - what do I do as an individual, as a community? That’s the hard part. Sometimes, as people we avoid conflict.”

But that does not stop the need to have the “crucial conversation" about climate according Dr Dekker, who highlighted the good work being done by some individuals and businesses as well as energy associations like Irish District Energy Association, Solar Ireland, Wind Energy Ireland, and the Irish Bioenergy Association.

“These people have been working in this space trying to push diversification of Ireland's energy system, not just from a climate point of view, but from a security point of view, which is very important right now,” she said.

Dr Dekker stressed the importance of government leading the way when it comes to climate action as " the market requires policy signals". "But policy plays a really key role in saying this is what we want as government and this is what we're going to push for," she said.

This can feed into everything the local authority has control over, with Dr Dekker highlighting how city planning can act as a template for showing "what we want in our city" as well as "what we don't want". She said these are the kind of tools local authorities can use to guide land use and ensure development is aligned with climate goals and objectives.

Transport, industry and the buildings (commercial and public) sectors are projected to be the furthest from achieving their sectoral emission ceilings in 2030. Agriculture emissions are projected to reduce by up to 19%.

Dr Eimear Cotter, EPA Director General, said last May: “The EPA’s projections show that the current rate of delivery of the Climate Action Plan and associated policies could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 - only half of the reductions needed.

“While greenhouse gas emissions are declining, European and national emission reduction targets are projected to be missed. There must be a renewed focus on delivering the actions to meet Ireland’s climate targets which will be a significant challenge given the short timeframe to 2030.”

“Meeting these targets will deliver multiple benefits. These include reducing Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels in electricity, transport and heating and strengthening national energy security and resilience. Achieving these emission reductions will also improve public health, provide green employment and protect our environment.

“Overall, these trends demonstrate that progress is achievable but accelerating delivery is critical. Renewable energy is now expected to provide nearly 60% of Ireland’s electricity by 2030. It is imperative given the increasing demand for electricity across several sectors, that renewables are delivered at the pace and scale required to meet this demand.”

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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