Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegations for their submissions. I congratulate Dr. Ó Gallachóir on the IT tool that he developed in Cork. It will enable him to read and acquire scientifically based information on how we will change and perform up to 2050. We want results now, so can Dr. Ó Gallachóir give us some good news? Obviously we need a long-term plan. The climate is changing. Sea levels have risen 3.2 mm and the temperature is rising in the Mediterranean area.

At present we are talking about agriculture and food production. Obviously, food security will also be important to the European Union. Scientists have predicted that the Mediterranean countries will no longer be able to be as agriculture-based as they are currently, so it will fall on the prime agricultural countries to provide food security in Europe.

Dr. Ó Gallachóir mentioned the land mass and trying to strike a balance between energy and food production.

Our ocean mass is ten times the size of our land mass but we are not putting enough effort into ocean-based wind production. Wind energy production has increased to 16% from the low base of 1% but if we are to ensure that we reach our renewable energy targets, we will have to make recommendations. Does Dr. Ó Gallachóir have to incentivise ocean energy production - wind farms at sea - because we have seen how difficult it is to get a wind farm project off the ground, and community considerations must be taken into account also?

Dr. Ó Gallachóir said we are getting more efficient in terms of wind energy and as a result of the tax measures on cars. In the European Union this week, we saw that the efficiency in terms of car emissions is reducing every day. It is hoped that we will soon reach the point where we will have cars with zero emissions. Our car tax is based on emissions. If we are looking to get funding from somewhere to put into renewable energy, including wind energy, an additional 1.5% of the market price of large, 500 hp diesel cars costing €100,000 would not be much for people who can afford that. The Fiat Panda is becoming more energy efficient yet the tax is higher on that. If we eventually reach zero emissions in cars, obviously we will have no tax revenue.

I would like to hear much more about anaerobic digestion and the capability inherent in our land based agriculture to ensure that we use more anaerobic digestion. It is a subject that gets a good deal of mention in our waste policy document but I would like to see a recommendation coming from the scientists on the way we could ensure more emphasis on anaerobic digestion.

Dr. Ó Gallachóir said that mapping a system is fine but that we could make a recommendation on a yearly analysis of how we are coping. I said in a previous discussion that realistic targets are important. We would all love to reach the 2050 target. The United Kingdom is aiming for 80% by 2050, and France has 75%. We do not have that but if we got from where we are now to where we could be in 2050, we could make recommendations. I will return to realistic recommendations later.

On the question of the Department this area should come under, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government would be the obvious Department but transport and energy are two huge sectors. The advisory council, which co-ordinates all the Departments-----