Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Minister's time is up. Since 1980, 64% of catastrophic events have been attributable to weather and climate extremes. The European Environment Agency report singles Ireland out for comment on carbon emissions, stating that we face a major challenge if we are to meet our Kyoto Protocol limit of 13% above our 1990 level. This holds true in the week that the parties to the protocol meet in Montreal, where we are obliged under Article 3 of the protocol to show demonstrable progress towards meeting our commitments. All we can now show is demonstrable progress on ignoring our commitments.

For all these reasons, this Bill is timely. If the Government had done what it said it would do, or even half of what it said it would do, perhaps we would not need such a Bill, but it is clear that imposing a legal obligation on the Government to adhere to its commitments is necessary. The Bill sets down a number of important responsibilities for the Minsters for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, including the publication of annual reports outlining the success of Ireland's efforts to achieve carbon emission reductions and renewable energy supply targets. Where the required reductions or targets have not been met the Minister in question will be required to report this to the House with the intended solutions to ensure the targets are subsequently met.

The Bill is forward-looking and plans for emission targets up to 2050, which many experts agree is the critical date by which temperature stabilisation must be achieved. If the many specific targets and measures that were detailed in the national climate change strategy had been given any priority, perhaps we would not have needed to introduce this Bill in the House. However, since the approach to the implementation of the strategy has been largely half-hearted, the Bill is not just a good idea but is necessary.

The key initiatives planned in the national climate change strategy include carbon energy taxation, use of emissions trading, measures supportive of ending coal-firing at Moneypoint, fuel switching to low and zero carbon fuels, livestock reductions and lower fertiliser use, fuel efficiency, demand management and modal shift in transport, energy efficiency in construction, and adjustment of the new house grant. Little or no progress has been made in respect of any of these.

We are constantly being told by the Minister and the Minister of State that considerable numbers of residential buildings are being built in this country. Since the Kyoto Protocol was agreed, approximately one quarter of the country's entire housing stock has been built and thus we have completely missed an opportunity.

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