By Tristian Whitney

Friends of the Earth have criticised the Republic of Ireland’s Budget 2026 as a missed opportunity to face the worsening climate crisis.

The climate justice charity said the measures announced by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe failed to tackle the challenges of climate change and the cost of living.

Deirdre Duffy, CEO of Friends of the Earth, said preparing for tomorrow and building resilience meant clean air, warm homes and the protection of nature.

Ms. Duffy said: “There is something deeply ironic about Minister Donohoe’s claim that Budget 2026 will ‘prepare for tomorrow’ and ‘build resilience’ when the biggest threat to tomorrow, namely climate breakdown, has been treated as an afterthought in this budget.”

The campaign group criticised the Irish government’s failure to make large polluters pay their share. While the organisation described it overall as a “retrograde” budget, it acknowledged some limited progress on tackling energy poverty.

The group highlighted measures such as extending the Fuel Allowance to families receiving the Working Family Paymentand funding for retrofitting social homes rising from €90 million to €140 million.

Programme coordinator, Clare O’Connor welcomed the moves, saying they were “positive steps in the right direction”. But she warned many households, such as renters andrural dwellers, were “again left out in the cold”.

“Much more targeted funding in this area is needed if it is to successfully lower bills, cut pollution, raise housing standards and make homes warmer and more efficient for the hundreds of thousands of people currently living in energy poverty,” she said.

The group also welcomed a €3.5 billion investment in the electricity grid, calling it a major step towards enabling renewable energy.