Peter Kelly (Longford-Roscommon, Fianna Fail)

I request that Dáil Éireann commend the National Climate Change Strategy 2007-2012 and the energy White Paper, Delivering a Sustainable Energy Future for Ireland.

The national climate change strategy published by the Government on Monday provides the platform for Ireland to develop into a low-carbon economy. It puts forward a comprehensive and coherent approach to meeting Ireland's Kyoto Protocol commitments and lays a solid foundation for Ireland to meet more challenging targets in the post-2012 period.

The strategy is detailed and specific and focused primarily on policies which are in place or are in the process of implementation. While the document looks forward, it is not about commitments to take action at some unspecified point in the future but simply sets out measures which have been introduced and quantifies the consequent reductions in emissions.

The strategy also establishes the framework which will develop measures to deliver the deeper cuts we will need in the future. The period when we begin to face deeper emissions cuts than those provided for in the Kyoto Protocol is now less than six years hence. In the context of the timeframe required for the implementation of major, far reaching policies and measures, this is not long. The Government has, however, correctly established the framework for such policies and measures not only through the new national climate change strategy, but also through the national development plan; the social partnership agreement, Towards 2016; the transport investment programme, Transport 21; the strategy for science, technology and innovation; and the energy White Paper, Delivering a Sustainable Energy Future for Ireland.

The Government recognises that climate changes requires a whole range of Government effort across the economy, from agriculture and forestry to energy, transport and waste management. It recognises that taking action to reduce emissions also means making energy use more sustainable, delivering the investment needed to bring about a modal shift in transport and harnessing our research and innovation capacity and unparalleled natural resources to make Ireland a world leader in renewable technologies.

The national climate change strategy makes clear that the public sector must lead the way. As the largest landowner, property owner and tenant in the State, it is in a unique position to show leadership in adopting high standards and practices which can drive change through the wider economy. It also has the capacity to play an important role in creating markets and supply chains for renewable technologies by setting high standards of energy efficiency in its public procurement of goods and services. This was a prominent feature of the debate on the motion yesterday evening.

The Opposition puts forward the proposition that the Government is ignoring the role of the public sector when the opposite is the case. The Office of Public Works is leading the way with a programme to ensure Government buildings reach high standards of energy efficiency. It is converting the heating systems in 20 large State buildings from their existing fossil fuel burners to biomass burners over the course of the next 12 months, rolling out energy awareness campaign in central government offices and ensuring that new office accommodation procured under the Government's decentralisation programme is built to the highest standards of energy saving and sustainable construction, including the greater use of bio-energy to fulfil the heating and energy requirements of buildings.

The Government is also leading in the area of green public procurement. With a total purchasing budget of more than €10 billion per annum, it has significant leverage in moving the market towards the competitive provision of sustainable products and services. It will publish a green public procurement action plan in 2007 which will set out how public procurement can be used to achieve environmental goals. The Government has succeeded in publishing a strategy which will enable Ireland to meet its Kyoto Protocol targets and place us in a strong position to meet future, more challenging targets.

See this speech in context