Leo Varadkar has said that he would like to commit to investing in climate change in the coming years.

The Taoiseach would like to spend on tacking the issue of global warming rather than face hefty EU fines.

If Ireland does not increase its renewable energy sources to 16pc of all energy sources by 2020, we could face fines of €75,000,000 per year.

‘From 2020 onwards we’re heading into some pretty major fines for not meeting our obligations,’ Varadkar told The Journal.

‘I would rather spend money now on meeting our commitments than on fines from 2020 onwards.’

Currently, around 13pc of Irish energy sources are set to be renewable by 2020, Environment Minister Denis Naughten told The Journal.

Ireland is one of the few countries expected to miss the 2020 target.