Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry. I have just arrived. I was at a discussion on aviation, which is not unrelated to this issue. I apologise if Mr. Carroll has already answered these questions.

Could Mr. Carroll elaborate on what he means by "climate neutral"? It appears more progressive on one level than "carbon neutral". It seems to encompass all greenhouse gases but it relies heavily on offsets, market mechanisms and, worryingly, looking to future technical solutions as opposed to accepting the urgent task to reduce the level of emissions. We do not want to have to use clever accountancy tricks. As Professor Kevin Anderson said recently, we can fool ourselves about emissions but we cannot fool physics and we cannot fool nature. They will find their way into the atmosphere. My concern with this EU green deal is similar to my concern about the climate Bill that is going through the Dáil - there is much obfuscation and it will not save the planet. I have a specific question for Mr. Carroll. Can he explain what he means by "climate neutral"?

Can Mr. Carroll tell me if he has read the recent article in Naturemagazine which raises alarming issues? Essentially, it points out that the deal is based largely on the EU offshoring its emissions by trade. We move away from damaging practice in terms of climate and greenhouse gases but then enter massive trade deals with countries which block such initiatives. We get them to grow the things we need to offset our climate-damaging and unsustainable ways. The article states:

Importing millions of tonnes of crops and meat each year undercuts farming standards in the European Union and destroys tropical forests.

[...]

the EU depends heavily on agricultural imports; only China imports more. Last year, the region bought in one-fifth of the crops and three-fifths of meat and dairy products consumed within its borders ... This enables Europeans to farm less intensively ... [but] the imports come from countries with environmental laws that are less strict than those in Europe.

[...]

In the past 18 months, the EU has signed deals (some pending ratification) covering nearly half of its crop imports — with the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia and ... the South American trade bloc comprising Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. ... [These are not sustainable.] Many use pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified (GM) organisms that are strictly limited or forbidden in the EU.

Could Mr. Carroll comment on both of those matters for me?