Ireland is at the very bottom of the EU climate list after failing to meet its 2020 targets, according to a publication by the European Commission.

The Green Party claims Ireland is falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to the environment and said the lack of ambition in the 2030 targets means that Ireland will miss out on the economic opportunities that others will avail of.

Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan TD said Ireland is becoming a "laggard" when it comes to climate change.

He said: "Missing our 2020 targets, and getting lobbying successfully to reduce our 2030 targets damages our reputation, and will cost us dearly through both fines and missed opportunities in the coming decades. The economic cost in the future of mitigating against climate change is going to be far higher than now. We are losing our twice.

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"I'm disappointed with the European Commission for accepting the scaling back of ambition for Ireland. The Emerald Isle is quickly becoming one of the least green in EU.

"However, the new targets don't mean we can sit back and do nothing. We still require a radical change in our housing, transport, agriculture and power systems, but being a laggard in this area means that we will be importing the technology required to make that transition, rather than developing it ourselves and reaping the rewards that go with that."

can go. They are failing to recognise that, as emphasised by the recent IIEA RDS report on climate smart agriculture demand for high-emission foods has to be addressed if we are to meet the Paris Agreement goals. Even if our agriculture is as efficient as possible, higher overall demand for products such as beef will lead to increased emissions. We are setting ourselves up to fail here."

(CD/MH)