The Council of EU environment ministers has adopted its position on 2030 climate targets, opposing European Parliament amendments to reduce drastically the amount of greenhouse gas emissions Ireland could offset through carbon storage in forests or improved soils and crops.

The ministers agreed to retain the original European Commission proposal, which gives Ireland the mission of cutting its emissions from a range of sectors including agriculture by 30% between 2005 and 2030, with up to 5.6% of these coming from removals of harmful gases thanks to improved land management and afforestation.

Speaking at the Council meeting in Luxembourg on Friday, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten described the target as “achievable” as part of efforts to cut overall 2030 European emissions by 40% in a spirit of “fairness and solidarity”.

Offsets

In June, the European Parliament voted to slash Ireland’s allowable share of offsets from land management and forestry to 3.8%, siding with environmentalists’ views that the initial proposal was too lenient.

European institutions must now try to reach a compromise position.

The ongoing debate on the 2030 targets leaves the more immediate issue of 2020 targets intact, with Ireland one of five countries on course to miss its obligations and face heavy penalties.

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