Deliver a massive street-by-street retrofitting programme for homes, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions;
A Just Climate Transition
We are committed to placing climate action at the heart of our policies and ensuring a Just Transition.
Download our Climate Manifesto (PDF)
Climate
Our mission is to place climate action at the heart of all policies. We will use the power of the State to accelerate decarbonisation, provide sustainable solutions to benefit families and communities, and meet our climate targets in a socially just way.
Our three key priorities for climate:
- A massive street-by-street retrofitting programme for homes, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions.
- Investment in wind and solar projects to ensure our energy grid is fossil fuel free.
- Cheaper and more reliable public transport and enhanced cycle facilities to reduce private car use.
How will we do this:
€6 billion investment in retrofitting, clean energy projects and transport
Using the Apple Tax windfall we will inject a massive €6 billion additional in major climate projects.
Retrofitting Revolution
The cost of retrofitting is still a major barrier for many households. We’ll provide interest-free loans to low and middle income households along with a tax rebate on the first €10,000 of work. We’ll fund 4,000 free heat pump installations a year and introduce a social tariff to reduce operating costs.
We will bring in street by street retrofitting of entire estates and streets, free to low and middle income households. Bulk upgrades will cost less and be more efficient. Labour will invest in green and renewable skills so that we have enough workers to meet our emission targets.
More than a quarter of the local authority housing stock has poor energy efficiency.. We’ll ensure that 5,000 local authority homes are retrofitted each year, including heat pumps and solar panels.
Wind and solar investment
Ireland has massive untapped renewable energy potential. There is no time to waste in accessing this vital resource. We’ll invest €1 billion, through the Irish Strategic Investment Fund, to take equity stakes in offshore wind projects. We’ll also boost investment in our ports so that the energy can be brought ashore and onto the grid.
Major transport projects
Use €2.5 billion from the Apple Tax windfall to support major transport projects including Metro, Bus Connects, LUAS extensions and regional rail upgrades and Local Link.
Cycling
Allow parents to purchase bicycles for their children under the ‘Bike to Work’ scheme and expand the City Bike scheme in Dublin and extend it to five new towns.
Public Transport – affordability and access
Labour will introduce a pilot €9 per month climate ticket for all public transport and over time move to make travel on public transport for children and young people under 26 free, expand capacity of existing bus and rail services, and introduce ‘Tap and Go’ contactless payments across the network.