Speaking at the UN Convention on climate change in Paris on Tuesday, Kenny referred to the EU’s overall commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% between 2005 and 2030. This includes emissions from large factories that can be traded on a carbon market. Within that target, so-called non-traded emissions including those from agriculture must be cut by 30% over the same period. EU member states must decide next year how this effort will be shared between countries and industries.

"Ireland is determined to play its part," said Kenny. "We have committed, with our EU partners, to a collective target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2030. Ireland’s national long-term vision is presented in climate legislation, which sets out our intention to substantially cut CO2 emissions by 2050, while developing an approach towards carbon neutrality in the land sector that does not compromise our capacity for food production. We are developing a National Mitigation Plan to achieve that vision."

He also made reference to his plans for the farming sector which will play a major role in Ireland's climate change targets.

"One really significant area for Ireland is our valuable and already efficient agriculture sector," said Kenny. "Through a series of programmes, like carbon foot-printing 43,500 beef farms and 18,000 dairy farms, we are driving economic and environmental efficiency in agriculture and achieving results that we believe are both transferable and scalable."

Reaction

Reacting to the Taoiseach's address to the UN Climate Confernence, Oisin Coghlan, Director of Friends of the Earth, said that while the Taoiseach called for climate change action he offered no firm actions to make those aspirations a reality.

''There was no concrete pledge to the Green Climate Fund beyond the €2 million promised for 2016," said Coghlan. "To reach the EU average Ireland would need to commit €45 million over four years but the Taoiseach came to Paris empty-handed after Ministers Kelly and Noonan could not agree how to raise it."

€5bn climate change battle ahead.