Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on these important environmental matters. I commend my colleagues, Senators Whelan and Landy, for putting forward this motion with the support of all of us in the Labour Party group. I thank the Minister, Deputy Hogan, for the speech he made earlier, which was a comprehensive response to the issues raised in the motion. I note in particular his comments about the work and vital role of the EPA. Other speakers have focused on different aspects of the motion, but I would like to comment on the fourth paragraph of it.

The motion “commends the Minister for the particular efforts he has made at all times to mainstream green-environmental policies and legislation and, in particular, to advance the climate change Bill”. We have also commended the policy in the programme for Government for environmental protection, as well as the Minister and the Department for their commitment to the use of recycling, resource-efficiencies and so on.

Climate change is a significant issue and the biggest challenge facing us internationally. It is creating environmental catastrophes across the world with floods becoming more frequent in some parts while in others, droughts occur. Developing countries are worst hit by climate change, which we know from being an international aid donor, while developed countries produce most greenhouse emissions. It is important that countries like ours are early adopters of legislation to take action to reduce our emissions. That is why I welcome the commitment in the programme for Government to take legislative action in this area.

In 2007, when I was first elected to the Seanad as an Independent, I introduced a Private Members’ Bill, the Climate Protection Bill 2007, with Friends of the Earth Ireland, which would have signed us up to binding emission-reduction targets. The then Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government had a commitment to similar legislation but, unfortunately, it was unable to agree the text of a Bill.

I commend the Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan, for the progress he has made in this regard. It is significant the heads of a climate action and low-carbon development Bill were unveiled on 23 April, following long consultations with different stakeholders with a huge input from the relevant Oireachtas committee. Earlier versions of the planned legislation were criticised by quite a number of environmental groups. There were also critiques of these heads produced in April for containing no specific medium-term or long-term targets for the key dates of 2030 and 2050. It is accepted, however, the Bill commits Ireland to meeting international climate change targets which has been welcomed by IBEC, the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, the IFA, Irish Farmers Association, and environmental groups which have asked for specific changes. The Government has clearly set out that there will be a binding commitment to EU and UN climate change targets for between now and 2050. This legislation will, accordingly, tie the State to an unequivocal commitment to future and present obligations.

The Bill has been described as more robust than previous versions. The Minister will be required to produce a national low-carbon roadmap every five years rather than every seven. The other major change is the enhancement and strengthening of the role of the expert advisory body. Under the heads, its membership will be increased to as many as 11 and its role will be analogous to that of the fiscal advisory committee. It will make recommendations to the Minister on compliance with every relevant climate-related obligation of the State under EU and other international agreements.

The fiscal council is required to publish reports within ten days of giving them to the Minister whereas the expert body on climate change will not have to publish its reports until between 30 and 90 days. Friends of the Earth Ireland has argued if this relatively minor provision could be changed, it would create greater transparency around public debate on climate change policy. The heads of the Bill do not include global climate justice as a principle to be considered, despite the fact the Government has spoken in support of initiatives taken by Mary Robinson in this area. A strengthened Bill would provide for that.

The Bill should also deal with some sectorial inputs to the national roadmap. I note the Oireachtas environment committee recommended drawing up the national roadmap before the sectorial ones. The draft heads of the Bill do away with the sectorial roadmaps, leaving just the national one.

Ultimately, there are several changes that could be made to the final draft of the Bill which would strengthen the level of environmental protection it can offer and our commitments in the programme for Government. It would be worth doing this to prove we are early adopters and serious about tackling climate change. The critical point is that a climate change Bill will be published and enacted during this Government's tenure. Despite all the consultations, failure to deliver this type of Bill was ultimately the big failure of the previous Government. I hope our Bill will be published in the summer and introduced, hopefully, in the Seanad rather than the Dáil in the next term.