Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think that this is a very unfair presentation of what the section is about, which is in respect of the Minister issuing guidelines to local authorities so that they can prepare a local authority climate action plan. The idea of this is that local authorities will be to the forefront of driving climate action to ensure that by moving early, there will not be the sort of consequences that people might fear. If one fails to adapt one's local authority or community to the challenges of climate action, one is going to see the prosperity of that community adversely impacted. We cannot avoid the progressive nature of the global challenge of climate and we will see a progressively higher carbon price to be paid by those who fail to plan ahead.

The Minister of State is seeking here to provide national expertise to support local authorities to be ahead of the curve in this respect. To present this as some sort of negative conspiracy against local communities is unfair to the climate challenge. In my time I have had occasion to meet with the Association of Irish Local Government and most of the local authorities are up for it. They recognise that if they move ahead of this they will create opportunities within their community. The Minister's guidelines are there to put them in a position to be leaders in climate responses to ensure that their community is ahead of the curve.

For people to perceive climate planning guidelines in the wholly negative way in which it seems it is being presented here is unfair to local authorities and communities right across the country. They see what is coming and recognise that future generations will depend on the changes we make in our community today. I put this counter argument to what we have heard. Climate action is the correct thing for us to do if we want to secure more prosperous, competitive and sustainable communities. We must bear that in mind when we are debating the sort of guidelines that the Minister might issue.