Mr. Oisín Coghlan:

The Stop Climate Chaos Coalition is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this discussion on climate change. Our coalition of overseas aid, environmental, youth and faith groups has been working together since 2007 for Ireland to do its fair share to tackle the causes and consequences of climate change. The changing climate poses a threat to everybody in Ireland, to all parts of the country and society and to all sectors of the economy. Agriculture is not exempt from these climate risks and threats. In fact, agriculture is particularly dependent on a stable climate. In recent years we have seen this in the damage done by flooding and the fodder crisis and, in recent days, by the damage done by the combination of Storm Emma and the "beast from the east". All these extreme weather events are made more likely by global warming. Our greenhouse gas emissions are loading the dice against ourselves and our future.

Just as it is not exempt from climate risks, the agricultural sector is not exempt from climate responsibility. Both the EPA and the Climate Change Advisory Council have used the word "transformation" to describe the scale of the change we need in our society and economy to do our share to prevent runaway climate change. Nobody is asking the agriculture sector to do more than its fair share, just its fair share. In fact, the national policy position on climate action, adopted by the Government in 2014 and underpinned by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, accords special and differential treatment to the agriculture sector. In line with EU policy and climate laws in other countries such as the UK and Finland, the national position stipulates an 80% reduction in emissions from electricity generation, buildings and transport, but only carbon neutrality in agriculture and land use. That is, by 2050 our agriculture emissions must be offset each year by our enhanced sinks, grasslands, peat lands and tree cover. That still requires a 2% reduction. If we are to match the two it means coming from approximately 19 million tonnes of emissions now to approximately 9 million. That will require a 2% reduction in agriculture emissions every year, at least, from now to 2050. That compares with a 5% reduction across the rest of the economy, so there is a significant advantage for agriculture.

Unfortunately, neither the rhetoric nor the action of Ministers or industry stakeholders is in line with the national policy position. In fact, agriculture emissions over the last couple of years have been rising by 2% per year rather than falling by 2%. The Government notes that the national policy position states that Ireland will take an approach to carbon neutrality which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production. The Climate Change Advisory Council has asked the Government to clarify that because it is not clear what exactly is meant. There are a couple of things we can say right now. We either start taking measures to reduce the emissions now, or we do not and agriculture over-shoots. We cannot define our way out of this challenge, and our approach to carbon neutrality cannot be not to do it. If we fail to reduce agricultural emissions we must reduce emissions from other sectors by more than the 80% target we have already set. There is no escaping the imperative to take action commensurate with the threat of climate change.

The other variable here is the capacity for sustainable food production. This is something Stop Climate Chaos Coalition member organisations such as Trócaire, Concern and Christian Aid have considerable experience of, given that they work across the world with people struggling to achieve sustainable food production. My colleague, Noreen Gumbo from Trócaire, will address this is her statement.