Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is talking a lot of sense. Agriculture is an expanding part of our economy and if it can add greatly to our wealth by selling the best product across the world, why would we not encourage developments in the sector?

Hand in hand with these developments, we must examine issues related to developments in assessing the potential for transforming agricultural waste into energy. Some time ago I visited a farm in County Limerick on which a waste to energy system was used very efficiently. It was able to supply a significant amount of energy to the national grid. We need to encourage all such approaches and also to consider the potential in industry to transform waste into energy. If we did not have a recession - none of us wanted one - we would be even further from meeting our climate change targets than we are. As the economy improves we have a considerable opportunity and challenge to ensure future developments will be carbon neutral in so far as is possible.

In my area there is a cement factory which has a significant waste to energy policy in place. The company has changed its fuel source. It is far more productive and intelligent for us to think in that way. From speaking to industrialists who are creating employment, they are very much in agreement with such an approach. They want to be part of a better world and bring about a reduction in CO2 emissions. The more modern and bigger they are, the more they want to do it. One of the problems with energy production in this country and elsewhere in Europe is that it is becoming so expensive that high energy users that have been responsible for high CO2 emissions in the past and remain in that category are moving out of Europe because they can no longer compete. Owing to energy costs their products are far too expensive and this has given rise to a major crisis. If we are serious about the issue, we must change the way we think about the energy we use, from where we can get it, including wind energy, which is a huge plus if one looks at it in the right way. If the research continues into wave and tidal energy, we could potentially have a bonus in terms of new energy sources that will never run out. If we change the way we think, we will do much better. I agree with what the Minister said, but we must consider the challenges that are met regularly and interrogated frequently. The Minister said no Minister would get off the hook in respect of meeting the targets set.

My final point is about transport and issues such as electric cars, walking, cycling and encouraging low carbon activities. Nantes is one of the best places in the world in which to live. It has focused on the provision of public transport and bicycles. Using a car is not considered to be the way in which to travel. Previously, there were eight lanes into the city, but that number has been reduced to two to make everyone use public transport. I do not know, however, whether everyone would agree with me on that point. However, they are the challenges we must meet and we must wake up to them. While the legislation is not and never could be perfect, it is an improvement on what we have in place.