The government has approved a detailed Annex of Actions to support the delivery of its Climate Action Plan 2021 – an ambitious plan to put Ireland on a more sustainable path by cutting emissions, creating a cleaner, greener economy and society and protecting us from the devastating consequences of climate change.

The Annex of Actions follows Climate Act 2021, which commits Ireland to a legally binding target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050, and a reduction of 51% by 2030. These targets are a key pillar of the Programme for Government.

Under Climate Action Plan 2021, there is a huge opportunity to create new jobs and grow businesses in areas like offshore wind, cutting-edge agriculture, or retrofitting – making our homes warmer and cheaper to run. It makes Ireland one of the most ambitious countries in the world on climate.

The Annex of Actions will be used to drive continued delivery of climate action across all Government Departments and bodies. It formally replaces the Interim Annex of Actions published earlier this year, and will be subject to the same process of monitoring and reporting.

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Commenting on today's development, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, said: "In 2021 we took two major steps towards our climate goals – passing the Climate Act, which commits us to cut emissions in half this decade, and producing a new Climate Action Plan that sets out how to achieve that. We now need to focus on the implementation of the plan by every part of Government. The details of what is needed are laid out in this Annex of Actions, and backed up by enhanced project management to deliver it. We have seen that we can work across Government to tackle Covid. We now need to give the same cross-government impetus to our work on climate action, so we can reach our goals and create a cleaner, greener economy and society."

The focus on implementation and delivery will be underpinned by the following:

• The Climate Action Delivery Board will ensure that each department and public body is held to account for the delivery of actions set out in the Climate Action Plan. The Board will also review key strategic projects and areas of work.

• The Cabinet Committee on Environment and Climate Change, supported by the associated Senior Officials Group, will be central to climate policy formulation and implementation on a whole-of government basis.

• A delivery report will be provided to the Cabinet Committee on Environment and Climate Change and the Cabinet each quarter, ahead of its publication.

• The reporting process will be streamlined, to distinguish between key actions that deliver significant emissions abatement, and supporting actions. This will allow for greater transparency on progress towards decarbonisation.