Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. The research NESC has done has been very interesting. I hope we can have a deep conversation on just transition at some point with the council because the issue is of interest to the whole committee.

The witnesses will have heard yesterday's discussion when the scientific case for early action was made very strongly, as was the economic case in that the State can currently access financing in a way that we have no guarantee we will be able to do in five years’ time. Loans are available at zero interest and the State has a healthy level of revenue. We can use the economic opportunity this presents to take early action. This brings us to the idea of just transition. Will the witnesses comment on the fast and fair aspect of just transition? Sometimes just transition can be used as an argument for delaying changes to the status quowhen in fact it is a matter of speeding up transformative and proactive action, including in new sectors, of which agriculture is a very interesting example.

We will hear later that the economic model in farming is not viable for two thirds of farmers. Perhaps we could fast-track a new environmentally sustainable model.

I believe the territorial plan for just transition will go in next year. If we want to achieve our carbon budgets is it important that we do not just rely on whatever funding comes from Europe through the territorial plan but that we go outside these territories and funding to front-load expenditure on just transition for communities in the wider sense? There have been a lot of great just transition community pilots, particularly in Donegal and Phibsborough. We could scale up in order that all communities are empowered to take the lead on opportunities and not just those in the territorial plan who are negatively impacted immediately. Will the witnesses comment on sectors where it is not necessarily about a just transition but about economic supports and subsidies? We hear that we may need to end or redirect fossil fuel subsidies, which of course will have an impact on sectors. How do we find ameliorating subsidies? If we end our derogation on the nitrates directive, and it looks like we may need to do so to achieve early targets, how do we redirect it? What additional subsidies would be possible? I would like the witnesses to comment not only on the long-term vision but also the emergency measures we may need over the next five years. The substantial investments that will bring the big changes may not arrive before we need to stop doing the negative things. I would also like witnesses to comment on how important marine protection areas are to the sustainability of bringing in wind energy.