Irish Examiner view: It's catastrophic to be going backwards on climate targets 

It is long past time we treated this crisis with urgency

Environment minister Darragh O’Brien said the EPA figures 'are a clear signal that, while we’ve made real progress, we need to move faster to meet our 2030 climate targets'. Picture: Conor McCabe

The figures from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are grounds for concern for anyone worried by the climate crisis.

The agency says that Ireland has “moved backwards” when it comes to our goal of reducing carbon emissions by 51% by 2030, as the latest statistics show the country is on course for a maximum reduction of 23%. That percentage makes a stark comparison with a predicted reduction of 29% made just 12 months ago.