Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. It is with pleasure than I formally second the amendment so eloquently, logically and comprehensively proposed by Senator Coffey.

I and my party are not contesting the science or reality of global warming and the need to address it. There is all-party agreement in that sense. I acknowledge the bona fides of the Minister of State in that sphere; there is no contest in that regard. There is also no contest of the fact that we should be a moral authority in Europe on this issue. As a small nation, we have a tradition since independence, especially in the peacekeeping area, of presenting the moral argument on an international platform. Let us continue to do that. Let us continue to be leaders in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to be the conscience of Europe in that regard. I am privileged to be on the Council of Europe and to be a member of its committee on the environment. I speak regularly on the issue and advocate a very strong European policy. There is no issue in that context either.

We are saying there is no need to go outside the current EU guideline of 20% as it might be foolhardy and tie our hands unnecessarily. I say that not from a flat earth or negative position or from a nihilistic effort to mess up what the Minister of State is doing, but from a sensible, realistic perspective. The 20% European guideline should be the realistic target rather than the 26% guideline implicit in the Bill as established by the excellent documentation from the Oireachtas Library and Research Service.

It is worth noting that there were no specific agreements at Copenhagen and Cancun on emission levels and targets to be reached.