Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

As Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security, I sought this debate some months ago and the day eventually has arrived. Without showing any disrespect towards the Minister of State, who is new to the Department, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government should show his face and contribute to this debate. One reason for such a debate is to try to raise the profile of one of the most serious problems that faces mankind today and in the future. The world cannot continue to emit greenhouse gases on the present scale without realising the consequences for future generations. At present, some parts of the world are suffering droughts, starvation, disease and other chronic health problems and envisage no solutions to them unless developed regions, such as the European Union, lead the way by taking steps, first to stall the ongoing rise in greenhouse gases and thereafter to proceed with steps to reduce drastically their levels over the next 50 years.

We cannot continue to ignore what is happening around us in the world today. Recently, the head of the World Bank has predicted that 3.5 million children will die this year of malnutrition. Huge energy prices make it more expensive to transport food from the places where it is grown to the places where those who are starving live. If any sense of humanity is left in us, we cannot ignore the prediction of the head of the World Bank that 3.5 million children will die this year. While Ireland may have its own problems regarding current budget deficits and other economic problems facing it, they pale into insignificance in the face of the possibility of such a large number of children dying before one's eyes. One should consider the amount of concern that is expressed, and rightly so, regarding illnesses that affect children in Ireland and no money is spared in trying to save the life of a single child. While this is how it should be, we close our eyes and ears to the estimate that 3.5 million children will die of malnutrition this year.

Members are aware that lack of food weakens people's resistance to infectious diseases and poor countries lack adequate health systems to deliver the medicines that could prevent some deaths and reduce suffering. The increased demand in countries such as Ireland for sophisticated health care systems draws doctors and nurses from poorer countries to those which have higher incomes available to them. For example, in recent times Zambia has trained 2,500 doctors. Today however, only 600 of them work in the country in which they were trained. Similarly, while only 1,000 doctors work in Ghana, in New York City alone, 600 Ghanian doctors are in practice. Not alone does a problem exist in respect of climate change, the ongoing effects of starvation and so on, but trained professional personnel to deal with the illnesses arising from these changes are lacking. This problem also applies to nurses. In Ireland, one only needs to look around one to see the number of professional nurses from abroad working throughout the health services. However, every time we take a nurse from the Philippines or wherever, it means the system in the Philippines has been left without a nurse who trained and qualified there. While all these people are welcome in Ireland, it is enormously difficult to deal with problems facing Third World and developing countries because of such ongoing facts and statistics.

In the short time available to me, I will refer briefly to the present position in respect of climate change and Ireland's targets in this regard. Members are aware that after the Kyoto conference in 1997, it was agreed the EU would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 8% below 1990 levels. Ireland was given a target of plus 13% because of the developing nature of its economy. As the volume of emissions produced by Ireland in 1990 was 54 million tonnes, the target set for Ireland to achieve amounts to 61 million tonnes. I have seen recent figures from the Environmental Protection Agency for 2005 in which our emissions had increased to 70 million tonnes. Consequently, we have greatly exceeded the target set for us. I fear that given the present rate of progress as seen by members of the aforementioned joint committee, if matters continue as they are, there is little chance of Ireland achieving its target of plus 13%.

Lest anyone believes that failure to reach the target means no more than that, failure to so do will cost Ireland a great deal of money. At a time when Ireland's health service and other important services are being reduced because of a shortage of money, it would be an absolute scandal to spend a considerable amount of money as a consequence of failing to reach our targets because of our inability to deal with a problem such as greenhouse gas emissions.

The main problems facing Ireland in respect of greenhouse gas emissions are centred around three main areas. Agriculture, energy production and transport account for approximately28%, 23% and 20% of our emissions, respectively. The problematic growth area for Ireland is transport and emissions from that sector have grown by 260% since 1990. Urgent measures must be taken in the transport area to deal with the continuation of such growth in its emissions. I suggest to the Minister of State that the Government should instruct the CIE group to bring forward, by year end, an investment plan for public transport that would have the effect of reducing overall transport emissions by 50% by 2020. The CIE group should be as brave in its level of ambition as has been the ESB group in respect of energy production.

As for the issue of transport, what we have done or failed to do is an absolute scandal. I do not object to investment in new road structures because it makes roads safer, reduces costs, traffic jams and so on. In addition, however, we should have been and should be investing considerable sums of money in a proper rail service that will transport both people and goods. It would make basic common sense to divert many heavy vehicles carrying various materials from the roads on to rail.

As for public transport, it has been demonstrated that people have responded where the service is available. People in the Dublin region are fortunate to an extent because they have Luas, a DART system and a decent bus service. Unfortunately, however, the number of buses that are available for people is insufficient and for as long as this position is maintained, people will use private cars to travel. I believe there is need for radical thinking in this regard and the Dublin transport authority, when it is up and running, should be to the forefront in making such necessary changes.

As I said earlier, people will use public transport if it is available to them but if someone is living three or four miles from a DART or Luas line or a quality bus corridor it can be difficult to gain access to that service. Some imagination is needed in that regard and one suggestion is to have a link up service between, say, a quality bus corridor and a Luas and DART system.

For years we have been speaking about an integrated ticketing service yet after six years of examination and investing approximately €13 million we have yet to see that service. It does not make sense that people cannot hop onto a DART or a bus and get to their destination using one ticket. In the age of modern technology surely it is not beyond the expertise of men to come up with a system that would allow that to happen.

Cycling is becoming more popular but to cycle on our roads we need proper and safe cycle lanes. Some of the existing cycle lanes are an excuse for cycle lanes and are quite dangerous. In some areas it is impossible for a bus or a car to stay out of a cycle lane because the road is so narrow. It is a foolish exercise to install cycle lanes that are not safe yet local authorities are widening footpaths without allowing for proper cycle lanes. That does not make sense to me.

We talk about promoting cycling holidays and so on, both from a health point of view and to improve our economy, yet if someone wants to travel with their bicycle on a train it becomes an impossibility. Thirty or 40 years ago one could put one's bike in the guard's van of the train and get from A to B. Allowing someone to put their bike on a train to go on a cycling holiday around Kerry should be a basic facility in this day and age.

In countries like Copenhagen taxis are fitted with a device on the rear capable of taking two, three or four bicycles. If someone wants to cycle to work in the morning but the weather turns bad, as it is today, and they do not want to cycle home, they simply call a taxi, put their bicycle on the back and away they go. These measures will not cost huge amounts of public investment but they make basic common sense.

Action in this area must be led by the Government, the Minister for Transport and other Ministers. If they do not lead in this area, show example and call in the taxi regulator and other bodies, including the CIE group chairman and so on, and insist this will happen, we will continue talking about this problem of climate change and energy security and boring people to death because nothing is happening.

It is a simple measure to sign up to targets; it is another thing to achieve them. If the Minister intends to sign up to targets he better be sure he knows what he is doing in terms of what it will cost this country, the way we will do it and when we will do it. We must deal with the simple issues such as the few I have outlined, and there are many more, which I am sure speakers following me will give examples. Many actions can be taken that will not cost vast sums of money if there is proper political leadership. That is a matter for Government, and it is a matter for us to highlight these issues to ensure Government can take action.

As well as dealing with the targets to 2012, we must also examine the European Commission's proposals, following on the Heads of Government agreement of 2007, to reduce greenhouse gases by a further 20% for the period 2012-20. I should point out that this Government, along with other Heads of State, has said that if there is international agreement, that 20% will increase to 30%. It is very easy to refer to 20% and 30% but how will that be achieved, given that our main problem areas are agriculture, energy production and transport? Where will we find those savings? Time is not on our side, a Cheann Comhairle.

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