Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair and committee members for inviting me to speak today about the Climate Action Plan 2023. The plan was approved by Government in December last year and provides an update on Ireland’s climate action, as well as reporting on the progress made with regard to meeting our national emission targets of a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030 relative to 2018 levels and achieving climate neutrality by no later than 2050. As the first statutory plan following the enactment of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, the Climate Action Plan 2023 implements the legal requirement to incorporate the emission reduction pathways set by the carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings, with further work to be completed concerning land use, land use change and forestry, LULUCF, emissions and unallocated emissions savings in the second carbon budget period ahead of the Climate Action Plan 2024. For each sector that has an emissions ceiling, the Climate Action Plan 2023 includes a roadmap of actions to ensure compliance in the remainder of the first carbon budget period. The Climate Action Plan 2023 also includes potential actions and measures for the second carbon budget period and an overview of potential policies for the third period. The Climate Action Plan 2023 will be accompanied by an annexe of actions which will provide additional detail for the actions identified in the plan, which we expect to be published next week. This will include steps to support delivery, expected outputs, lead Departments, timelines for delivery and other stakeholders. This additional information supports the implementation and delivery of plans and policies to meet our climate goals while also supporting the monitoring and reporting process that is essential to ensuring the successful delivery of our climate ambition.

As part of the preparatory work for delivering the Climate Action Plan 2023, extensive consultation was carried out by my Department with stakeholders including all relevant Departments and agencies. The principal means of engagement was through the establishment of ten working groups in September 2022. In addition to the working groups, there was significant bilateral engagement at both official and ministerial level to discuss the challenges, opportunities and potential solutions to the issues this process raised. The Climate Action Plan 2023 includes actions that will transform and improve life in Ireland. These actions will support warmer and better-built homes, more sustainable transport systems, increased levels of indigenous renewable energy, more efficient and sustainable business practices and new income streams for farmers. Key targets in the plan include enough renewable electricity to power every home and business in the country by 2030, 70% of people in rural Ireland to have buses that go three times a day to the nearest town, 500,000 homes retrofitted to building energy rating, BER, B2 to make them warmer, one in three private cars on our roads to be electric by 2030, walking, cycling and public transport to account for 50% of all daily trips and tillage farming to cover up to 400,000 ha by 2030. The societal and economic changes required to meet these targets will require a collaborative effort by Government, businesses, academia, communities and individuals to implement new and ambitious policies to deliver the technological innovations, systems and infrastructures we need. I have every faith that we will together reduce our overall economy-wide carbon emissions year by year. This is not just the right thing to do for our environment and the planet but also the smart thing to do for our economy.

I believe that this year will be a significant one for Ireland’s transition towards net zero. We have laid the foundations with the 2021 climate Act and our 2022 carbon budgets and sectoral ceilings. Our latest plan is ambitious and impactful but also achievable. The transition to a carbon-neutral economy will provide huge opportunities to foster innovation, create new jobs and grow businesses in areas like offshore wind, cutting-edge sustainable agriculture and low-carbon construction. While we all must act together towards our climate objective, I realise that the costs of climate action will be felt more acutely by some than others. As a Government, we are committed to protecting those most vulnerable and to ensuring a just transition to a low-carbon economy. I thank the committee and acknowledge the integral role its members are playing in reviewing and contributing to the Government’s progress towards achieving our climate ambitions. This oversight from this committee is a key component of our enhanced climate governance structures and will improve the accountability of Ministers for delivery of climate action in each area. I look forward to further engagement with the committee as we work towards achieving a 51% reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero by no later than 2050.