I want to raise the climate crisis with the Taoiseach. Today, we see the devastating report from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council. They tell us that on its current trajectory, the Government will clearly miss our legally binding 2030 climate targets. We all know the consequences of that failure will be enormous. That is set out in the report: €26 billion in fines; and the really serious impact upon generations to come who will see a future stolen from them, generations who rely on us to take the necessary actions now to cut our emissions, tackle climate change and protect our biodiversity. The report is significant but it is not news. The Taoiseach and his Government colleagues must have known about the missed targets and this projection because they have seen so many public bodies already telling them about Government failure on this, for example, the SEAI and the EPA. While an ignorant failure of policy could be forgiven, this is a conscious failure of political will. There is no accountability for the Government's failure either. Last week, the Taoiseach told the House that he had noticed, I think from the Opposition, a "deliberate attempt" to present this Government as rowing back on climate change. The Taoiseach said there had been no resiling by this Government from climate action but, in fact, has there not been a clear rowing back from the position on climate taken by the previous Government, of which the Green Party was a member? For example, only months after denying this would happen, the Government will now import dirty LNG into our country and it has abandoned, in its programme for Government, the spending ratio for active travel and public transport. The Government's programme will, instead, favour the building of "Roads, baby, roads", as Trump might say. Incredibly, the programme for Government makes no reference to the legally required carbon budgets or to sectoral emissions ceilings which might set a pathway for achieving net zero. We all know that Ireland's 2021 climate law sets a 2030 target for reducing emissions by 51%. Crucial to achieving that target and setting us on the right pathway are our three five-year carbon budgets. This process is very important and it envisages review by the Oireachtas on an ongoing basis. It makes the climate Minister responsible for updating the annual climate action plan but the Minister has not published this year's new climate action plan. Despite the fact we are now in the third month of 2025, there is no Oireachtas climate committee. Therefore there is very little opportunity for accountability. The Taoiseach will not even facilitate the flow of information. It seems all reports of the climate action delivery board have been removed from the gov.ie website. It seems climate is not a priority for the Government, despite the Taoiseach’s protestations to the contrary, and it seems it is making no effort to meet the 2030 targets. I have one burning question: does the Taoiseach admit that the legally binding climate targets will not and cannot be met by his Government?

Sentiment score: -0.15

I think we can agree on one thing: climate change is existential. The threat of climate change is clearly existential. Ach níl an Rialtas ag déanamh gach iarracht. The Government is not making every effort; clearly not. The trajectory of this Government is on course to miss climate targets, and to say otherwise flies in the face of the evidence that is being presented to the Taoiseach and all of us by these bodies. The whole thing is reminiscent of the Taoiseach's reliance on inflated home delivery targets during the general election. He cannot rely on a target that he knows he will not achieve. There must be an awareness of this across government. If the Tánaiste was furious at that €120,000 spent on the scanner in the National Gallery, he will be incandescent about the €26 billion fine that the Government will face when we miss these targets in 2030. Given that, on the current trajectory, the Government is on course to miss climate targets, what will it change immediately to ensure we will meet our climate targets? Can he admit to this House that the Government will not be able to meet them?

Sentiment score: 0.03

That is €26 billion.

Sentiment score: 0.00