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The Programme for Government 2025-30 may be the last opportunity for civil society to influence dramatic policy shifts before catastrophic climate and nature breakdown occurs.  The scientific consensus is clear - the window of opportunity to limit catastrophic global warming is rapidly closing. Time has run out on incrementalism; our actions and inactions during this decade (2020-30) will directly determine the future of all inhabitants of planet Earth.

This election offers a pivotal opportunity for the people of Ireland to call for courageous, urgent, and radical action commensurate with the threat we face, and in line with our responsibility to secure a liveable future for everyone. 

Here are some top election asks from An Taisce, to help you form questions for candidates:

1. Comply with our legally binding obligations. EPA analyses show we are not on track to comply with our Climate Action & Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, which requires emissions reductions to adhere to 5-year carbon budgets (the total amount of emissions permitted under our legislation) of 295Mt (2021-25) and 200 Mt (2026-2030). Failure to meet the 2030 targets could cost the Irish taxpayer >€8 billion in fines. 

2. Reduce energy emissions by:

• accelerating retrofitting using low-carbon materials by prioritising social housing and low-income families and incentivising private landlords to upgrade rentals under The National Retrofit Plan. 

• placing a moratorium on data centre development until it is established that their emissions will not breach sectoral limits, leading to non-compliance with our legally binding carbon budgets.

• preventing infrastructural lock-in: no new gas infrastructure for industrial or large energy users.

3. Develop and fund a National Nature Restoration Plan to ensure Ireland’s compliance with EU Nature Restoration Law and to enable a resilient natural world supporting people and planet, including:

• an expert working group to design and monitor implementation;

• a National Nature Restoration Fund (e.g., 0.5% of Corporation Tax revenue);

• amending legal mandates of Coillte and Bord na Móna to prioritise public ownership and nature protection and restoration, not profit;

• implementing the recommendations of The Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss to enshrine Rights of Nature in Irish law.

4. Reduce the environmental impact of agriculture by:

   • granting nitrate derogations only where no impact on water quality is guaranteed;

   • funding farmers for nature restoration and rewilding;

   • supporting tillage and horticulture farmers and incentivising transition from dairy and beef;

   • publicly endorsing reduced meat consumption as essential to climate mitigation and health;

   • setting milk and meat production quota limits;

   • revising the National Biomethane Strategy to ensure that scientific evidence on serious negative impacts (methane leakage, excess fertiliser use, ammonia emissions) are addressed.

5. Reduce land use and forestry emissions by:

   • defining a sectoral emissions ceiling for Land Use and Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF). A missing ceiling for LULUCF means we cannot accurately assess compliance with carbon budgets;

   • setting a limit on timber harvest - excess harvesting relative to past planting is creating a significant rise in forest emissions due to the loss of carbon sink and forest carbon storage.

6. Reduce transport emissions by:

   • allocating 20% of transport capital funding for walking and cycling and implementing a 5:1 funding ratio for new public transport vs new roads;

   • accelerating the delivery of transformative cycling and public transport projects;

   • addressing aviation emissions by upholding capacity limits at Dublin Airport and developing high-speed, low-carbon passenger ferry routes with seamless public transport connectivity.

7. Enable, support, and resource community climate action by:

   • extending, stabilising, and resourcing Climate Team contracts in Local Authorities, allowing them to lead transformative projects with continuity and strategic vision;

• improving the accessibility and flexibility of the Community Climate Action Fund; 

• expanding evidence-based communication campaigns to build public support for climate action by emphasising co-benefits of climate action for health and wellbeing, social justice, and long-term economic sustainability in a shared vision for a sustainable and resilient future.

8. Address the underlying driver of emissions and ecological breakdown by rethinking growth and initiating a transition to a Wellbeing Economy, to enable communities to thrive while taking action to restore and protect our living planet, securing a liveable future for all.