Last month, Minister for Climate Darragh O’Brien brushed off warnings from the State’s fiscal and climate watchdogs as “back-of-the-envelope stuff”.
Brushing aside a sober, peer-reviewed analysis by the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) and the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (Ifac) signals a troubling game of chicken with Europe over our climate obligations.
The IFAC-CCAC report estimated that if Ireland continues on its current path, failing to cut emissions significantly this decade, the State could face compliance costs of €8 billion to €26 billion after 2030. This range represents the likely cost of buying carbon credits from countries that overachieve their targets, leaving us with nothing but a receipt.
Framing this as a “colossal missed opportunity”, th
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