Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for joining us. As I understand it, the EPA is awaiting the passage of the climate action Bill and the measures provided for in it, including the plans and the carbon budget, in order to be able to make the relevant projections. It is important to state that because there has been some confusion. The Chair asked a question on this at the outset, but the point is being missed because the term "additional measures" does not mean just the additional measures that this Government is taking now. Quite apart from the passing of the climate action Bill and the provisions it contains, there are also all of the measures that have been put in place by the Government over the past year. These are also not necessarily taken into account in these projections because they are based on the Climate Action Plan 2019. Some of the measures are based on that plan but others are not. It is important to state this so there is no confusion about it. I certainly feel that we need to see projections based on the measures that are being implemented and that will be put in place under these new plans.

Ms Finnegan mentioned Ireland's reputation as a green food producer being in jeopardy. This is a very important point. It shows that we need to support farmers. This plan is not about penalising farmers but supporting them. Last week, Macra na Feirme called for support from ecologists, for instance, which shows willingness to move. I may have missed a point with regard to some of the measures outlined, particularly on change in land use or diversification, at the very least, through the use of mixed swards and clover. Is our land use quantified in actual square miles? Are we speaking about converting to be able to reach targets? Do the witnesses know this?

Some of the measures suggested are based on the Climate Action Plan 2019. These include moving to 1 million EVs. Interconnectedness was mentioned. When the EPA looks at its emissions projections does it look at simple emissions from vehicles and convert them? Does it look at other things associated with car culture such as sprawl? Not everybody will purchase an EV. A model based on a simple conversion from one to the other probably would not take into account that everybody will not convert or the potential for urban sprawl. This can have other knock-on impacts on health and well-being. Has the EPA examined the matter in this broader sense?