The Government is "quiet-quitting" climate action, Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman has said, following the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest figures showing emissions fell by 2.2% last year.

O'Gorman said: "The public are rightly concerned that Europe is warming at an alarming rate, and what that means for the future of this island. The Government has been quiet-quitting on climate action and today’s EPA report cannot mean that the Government gives up completely on our emissions targets. What we need now is leadership. And yet, the Government hasn't even managed to publish the Climate Action Plan for 2026, half way through the year."

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He criticised recent suggestions that infrastructure improvements require circumventing climate law. "Larger emission reductions are achievable. Too often, this Government pitches climate action as something that is working to slow down the improvement of State infrastructure. That is disingenuous. Stalling on infrastructure reform and climate action is solely down to inaction on the part of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil."

O'Gorman also warned of the consequences of delay for households and the wider economy: "Not only can the environment not afford this inaction, but neither can our households as energy bills rise due to a lack of investment in infrastructure, people continue to rely on cars because of a slowdown in the rollout of public transport infrastructure, and food prices continue to rise as we rely almost completely on imported food."