Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), Government of Ireland | Source | Report |
Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2025 (CAP25) updates the country’s legally binding pathway toward a 51% emissions reduction by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050, while emphasizing delivery and cross-agency accountability. The plan reinforces the electricity sector’s central role, targeting 80% renewable electricity by 2030—a major increase required not only to decarbonize power generation but also to support electrification across transport, buildings, and industry. Agriculture, responsible for 34.3% of emissions in 2023, will continue fertilizer reductions, advance methane-mitigation R&D, and expand diversification to remain within sectoral ceilings. CAP25 also adopts an activity-based approach for land use, prioritizing peatland rehabilitation, afforestation, and improved grassland management amid baseline uncertainties.
A key section of CAP25 highlights the financial risks of missing EU climate targets: under a With Existing Measures (WEM) scenario, compliance costs could reach €8.1 billion by 2030, while other analyses estimate potential liabilities of up to €20 billion if Ireland must purchase allowances from other member states. To mitigate these risks, the plan scales up carbon-tax funding (€951 million in 2025), accelerates renewables, expands MRV capacity via SEAI and EPA, and strengthens governance structures to keep Ireland within its carbon budgets.
