European Commission to put Ireland’s poor climate action record under scrutiny

Ireland’s sluggish climate action efforts will be brought under scrutiny as the European Commission seeks to push laggard countries to achieve their emission reduction targets. EU commissioner for climate Wopke Hoekstra said talks would take place with the Government to find solutions to whatever was impeding progress. He would not be drawn on the areas the talks would focus on, saying it was “not helpful” to negotiate in public. But he said all sectors, including land use, would be under review. That primarily means agriculture, the country’s largest emitting and most politically sensitive sector.