Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the officials from the agencies and Departments and thank them for their worthwhile presentations. Questions are being asked about the new flexibility that is being bestowed on us. Some of us argued for these factors to be taken into consideration during the legislative procedures that led to the Act. There was a great deal of discussion on them when the previous committee was drawing up its report on climate action.

There is concern that we are stretching the point as we argue that grasslands and forestry have a significant carbon sink value. The value of peatlands as carbon sinks was not mentioned in the presentations and the documents we received. One of the other arms of government - the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs - is rightly trying to get on top of the peatlands issue. I would support the preservation of the peatlands we can preserve. One of the reasons given by the scientific lobby when it has been making the case for the preservation of our peatlands in recent years has been their value as carbon sinks. I wonder why that is absent from the presentation we have heard today.

There is concern about the figures and the financial implications, even in consideration of the new flexibility we are being given. It has been suggested that the cost to the State of going off target could extend to €6 billion. Even though we have just had the warmest year on record, it is not the case that there is unanimous agreement in the Houses of the Oireachtas that climate change is due to human activity. One or two Members of the House disagree with that. I am not one of them. I am not sure whether they have agreed yet that the earth is round. I would say we are moving in that direction by now. Anybody who has been observing weather patterns will see the changes that are in front of us and have to be dealt with. I have seen changes as I have observed weather patterns throughout my lifetime. Of course there is also scientific evidence of climate change.

The Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht of the previous Dáil compiled a valuable report in conjunction with Professor John Sweeney. That was certainly a useful process. The report is on record. I think it makes good reading. It gives a very good summary of where we are at. Obviously, there is great concern about the significant financial implications for the State, but there are bigger implications in terms of the catastrophic environmental damage that awaits us if we do not deal with this issue. This State needs to show leadership as it grapples with this. I will repeat my two questions. How can we ensure we do not stretch the point as we argue for this? What can we do about the exclusion of peatlands?