Climate governance in Ireland is at a pivotal juncture. Environment and climate policy was a crucial element
of the government formation talks in 2020 which heralded a new Programme for Government, incorporating the
Green New Deal mission. One major component of this mission is the enactment of the Climate Action and Low
Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill, which will establish the national 2050 climate objective in law.
Likewise, in the North, the Executive has launched a consultation on its first ever Climate Change Bill.
Internationally, the European Commission’s proposal for the first European Climate Law, aiming to legislate
for the European Green Deal ambition for a climate neutral Europe by 2050 has been submitted to the European
Parliament for consideration. Climate action will move from being a major challenge to a legislative
imperative that will impact on future plans and operations.
In this context, the 2021 Irish Climate Summit will examine the latest ambitions, challenges and
opportunities of Ireland’s response to the climate crisis. Climate action legislation and resulting policy
outworking will have a cross sectoral impact ranging from energy, transport and agriculture to manufacturing
and technology. In addition, many service industries and professional service firms are now reflecting on
their business practice and how they advise their clients to transition to a low carbon future.
