Environmental advocacy coalition Stop Climate Chaos has called on Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O'Brien to immediately publish Ireland's delayed 2026 Climate Action Plan, warning that the missing roadmap leaves the State without clear direction on decarbonisation.

Annual climate action plans typically set out national measures at the beginning of each calendar year or in the preceding months. However, the plan for 2026 has yet to be published, raising concerns among campaign groups and opposition politicians over government accountability.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Seán McLoughlin, policy and advocacy officer at Christian Aid Ireland, said a failure to publish the plan and adhere to climate legislation had left the government looking like "a boat without a rudder" on climate policy. He added that it was unacceptable to shrug off missed targets when lives and livelihoods face disruption both at home and abroad.

In May, Minister O'Brien stated he intended to bring a "slimmed down" version of the 2026 plan to Cabinet within "the coming weeks." Senior opposition figures, including Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman and Labour leader Ivana Bacik, have previously challenged the delay, arguing that the lack of an updated strategy undermines national efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

The renewed call for publication comes amid sluggish progress on national emissions targets. Figures from the Environmental Protection Agency show Ireland's emissions decreased by 3 per cent in 2023 and 1.9 per cent in 2024. Current projections indicate the country is on course to cut emissions by 25 per cent by 2030 compared to 2018 levels—far short of the legally binding 51 per cent reduction target.

Departmental officials have previously defended the schedule, maintaining that multi-annual measures established under earlier climate action plans remain in effect while work continues on long-term carbon budget frameworks.