Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

With regard to agriculture, which will be a massive issue in Ireland, what are the main changes the delegates envisage need to take place in this context? Do they see a substantial trade-off as a realistic option in agriculture? We have Harvest 2020 and Ireland is a huge food producer relative to its size. Do the delegates see the potential for a large trade-off with other sectors? How realistic is this? How far can we go in making substantial reductions in the areas of energy and transport?

The seventh question posed by the delegates in their paper is key. This morning we had a discussion on the fact that time was not on our side because we had already lost a lot of ground. People receive information from and form their opinions based on the media and the education system. How much and what needs to be done to trigger this? The media have been all over the debate on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill which is being discussed in the Seanad on the same days the committee is discussing the issue of climate change. The Bill deals with a very important issue, no matter where one stands on it, and I do not want to reduce its importance, but it would be a safe bet to state the four-day hearings of this committee on this massive issue which is about the future of society, the economy, the Earth, the environment, jobs and livelihoods will not attract the same attention. I have never been able to work out what is missing whereby the media do not see this issue. There is an occasional column or article in The Irish Times which, in fairness, ran a report on what happened at the committee meeting on Monday, but it does not get the same coverage. The education system is a little ahead, in that our children and grandchildren are more tuned in and exposed to new thinking through An Taisce programmes and various other programmes in schools. What do we need to do to kick-start media attention for this matter?

If the 2020 targets are missed by a substantial amount such as 10% or 15%, what would be the estimated cost of the quota purchases that would be required?