Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their contributions. I will bring it into a more positive frame of mind and go back to what Professor Sweeney said. It is very important that we frame it in a way that is honest about the challenge, but also honest about the opportunities for people within that. That means we bring people along with us. There is an opportunity to start to make changes that will have a benefit for people's lives. We could go beyond what the council is saying.

Regardless of whether we are to be more ambitious, as the witnesses seem to be saying here today, or as highly ambitious as the CCAC is already being in its proposed budget, action still needs to be taken. My question will be same as that I posed to the members of the committee yesterday. Do the witnesses see a place for an ongoing modelling approach that could support politicians and policy makers in making the decisions that are made day to day around which direction we go in?

We do not know all of the technology we will be faced with. I know the witnesses talked about the precautionary principle, but we can make iterative changes along the way. I would like to see more collaboration between scientists, policy makers and politicians in order that on an ongoing basis, we do not find a compromise, but science that backs up which policy direction to go in on a day-to-day basis. Will the witnesses comment on that?

I am glad Deputy Bruton brought up the concerns, because some people listening to the meeting might think we are talking about going back on the carbon budgets and redoing the whole thing, which is not what the witnesses are talking about, or going back on the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. I know Professor Anderson has a difference of opinion on the targets that are set there.

It is internationally recognised that the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 is very ambitious. It is also accepted that the carbon budget, as laid before us by the council, is similarly ambitious. Let us start to act on that. If we can make more progress, let us make it. I would love to hear the witnesses' view on the other issue to which I pointed. Can scientists help with the modelling? The council said there were gaps. Professor McMullin has said there were gaps, especially around social justice. Those gaps are there because the data simply are not. That can be built on over time, but we are where we are and we have to act on it.