David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman. The heads of the Bill do not in themselves constitute a Bill and I will outline why I am concerned that although the Government may not see its full term, even if it does, less than two years remains to it. Consequently, I am concerned that even at this stage, the heads of a Bill do not in themselves constitute a Bill. The importance and urgency of having an actual Bill pertain to the following points. First, a climate change Bill would, by implication, be obliged to set targets. Second, it would be necessary to have public engagement with NGOs and interested parties on various aspects of the Bill. Obviously, there also would be a need to have some sort of report. Therefore, much work remains to be done before Members get to a Bill.

Climate change continues to be an ongoing issue both in Ireland and on a global level. In Ireland, the damaging impact of global warming has been seen all too frequently in respect of increased rainfall and of severe flooding, which extracts a huge cost from society in both human suffering and the monetary cost to local authorities and the State. This was seen most recently a few months ago, when there was severe flooding in many parts of the country, including County Waterford and some parts of the Minister's native County Kilkenny. The effects of climate change can be seen globally and felt locally, from floods in the cities and towns to rain-sodden fields of corn and to do nothing simply is not an option. The issue of climate change must be addressed and the implementation of a climate change Bill is required urgently, not simply the publication of the heads of a Bill. This is essential for economic growth, for protection of the environment and for global environmental justice.

A climate change Bill is needed that is both robust and has specific targets regarding emissions that are monitored by an independent body. As the Minister is aware, in 2013 Sinn Féin introduced such a Bill in the Dáil. This Bill was based on an updated and modified version of a climate change Bill that was published by a sub-group of the Oireachtas environment committee composed of current Government Ministers, of whom I believe the Minister was one. The Sinn Féin Bill was not introduced in a partisan manner but rather its aim was to offer a blueprint in an attempt to spur the Government into action.