Ireland's May Temperature Records Broken Twice, EPA Warns of Climate Crisis
Ireland's May temperature record was broken twice, reaching 30.5 degrees Celsius, ten times faster than expected. The EPA forecasts only a 25% emissions reduction by 2030, far below the 51% target. Opposition criticizes government inaction, while the UN warns of the climate crisis's brutal impacts.
Ireland has experienced record-breaking temperatures, with the May record of 28.4 degrees Celsius broken twice in recent days, now standing at 30.5 degrees Celsius. Dr. Conor Quinlan of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated these increases are ten times faster than expected in a stable climate, highlighting a significant problem.
Quinlan spoke at the EPA's annual climate conference, where the agency released its latest greenhouse gas emissions forecast for Ireland. The report indicates that Ireland will achieve, at best, only a 25 percent reduction in emissions by 2030, falling far short of the legal target of a 51 percent reduction. The EPA urged greater focus on climate policies to accelerate progress.
Minister for Climate Darragh O’Brien defended the government's efforts, but Opposition parties, including Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman and Labour climate spokesman Ciarán Ahern, criticized the lack of urgency and failure to publish the 2026 Climate Action Plan. Friends of the Earth chief executive Deirdre Duffy called the EPA's findings «bitterly disappointing», emphasizing Ireland's failure to address climate breakdown seriously. United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell described the heatwave as a «brutal reminder of the spiralling impacts of the climate crisis».