The Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) is hosting the Online Workshop ‘The State of the Nation: understanding Ireland’s environmental performance in terms of the past, the present, and futures’ on 11 May 2026.

Ireland has committed to achieving a climate-neutral and climate-resilient economy by 2050, with a legally binding goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030. But what is the country’s performance to date, and what are the indications that Ireland will achieve, or not, these ambitious targets?

Faced with an ever-changing, shifting geopolitical landscape, where belligerent anti-science regimes bolster the fossil fuel industry, is Ireland holding its own in terms of our commitments to climate action, or is there evidence of backsliding on our commitments, and an ebbing of political and public support for environmental protection?

The answers to understanding our attitudes, connection to nature, and stewardship of the environment reside in understanding our past and how we perceive and act in the present.

Looking towards the future, Ireland is ideally positioned to take advantage of the green economic opportunities that have emerged, but what may be lacking is the political courage and willingness to seize them.

And in an ever-changing geopolitical landscape, the country is facing a choice between delaying necessary action and pushing ahead with building a climate-resilient society that also seizes new green economic opportunities to replace the damaging fossil fuel regime.