Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their attendance. It is good to have a broad range of organisations represented, many of whose members we have met in the past. As for the Department, it is clear that not alone is there slippage but we are not even keeping apace. If it were not for the crash of the economy between 2008 and 2013 and 2014, we would be galloping further ahead in terms of missing our targets. Do the witnesses believe now that the issue of binding sectoral targets should be inserted in legislation? Some of us sought that when the climate action legislation was before the Dáil and in the forerunner of this committee of which I was a member. While some areas have made a good deal of progress, others have not. I refer to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in particular.

I welcome Professor John FitzGerald's contribution. His comment that not alone have we missed the 2020 target but that he projects we will overshoot the 2030 and 2050 targets was interesting. I recall discussing in this very room the fact that we will hit carbon cliffs, although I did not believe in 2013 that it would come as quickly as it has come.

I refer to the economics of converting to biomass as we hear different views to the effect that it is not possible to do it on a large scale. Obviously, we do not want land that is being used for producing food to produce biomass crops. A balance must be achieved in that regard. My party, Sinn Féin, has produced a paper on biogas, a copy of which I am happy to give the representatives of the groups. We would welcome their views on that.

I thank Mr. Joe Healy from the IFA for his presentation, which I read with great interest. In his statement he said farmers are reducing emissions but the Climate Change Advisory Council referred to increases in respect of agriculture. Mr. Healy might address that and deal with the biomass question in terms of land use.

Also, regarding sugar beet, Mr. Healy will be aware that a meeting was held the other night in Bunclody on restarting the sugar beet industry. Some experts reckon that has a role to play both in biodiversity and as a carbon sink because as Mr. Healy and I know, beet is a covering crop; in other words, it covers the ground with green leaves for about four or five months of the year.

What are the views of the witnesses on restarting it to address our greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce our huge dependency on beef and dairy?

As for the Stop Climate Chaos presentation, it was mentioned that we have the third highest level per person in the European Union. This is alarming.

What is the single most important thing we can do with regard to electric vehicles? We have fewer than 2,000 electric vehicles according to figures I was given recently. There is uncertainty at present with regard to the charging system and its infrastructure because of the decision of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, that it should not stay with the ESB. What should happen here? What should we do to change this quickly?