Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentation. I want to ask about the environmental impact of the 1 million EVs beyond carbon both at home and overseas. We are all anxious to think globally and avoid any sense of thinking of the State only. The production of batteries in countries such as China is thought to give rise to a heavy carbon footprint. Some say that the latter is up to 60%. I recently read that this could be reduced if China adopted a European or an American model. There is also the issue of sourcing electricity for these.

I also wish to inquire about the bigger push away from individual transport to public transport, the retrofitting of homes and the introduction of heat pumps. Just transition is critical not just physically and financially but also psychologically for people's well-being and in the context of the sense of inclusion in the transition. Do the witnesses see a real heart-and-soul commitment from the State to recognising these realities and ensuring the people can transition urgently?

I want to touch on food production. It seems counterintuitive that while we have marketed ourselves as this clean, green food island, much of that has been achieved at the expense of the environment.

The addiction to efficiency seems to be trumping imagination and transformation. Small family farmers are doing their best on shrinking incomes. We really need to support these farmers because it is on their backs that we created this clean, green food island status. I ask the witnesses to outline the way forward here.