John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

There are people who believe that in view of the economic downturn, action on climate change should be deferred or given a lower priority in the shorter term. Such views are misguided and damaging. The Council is perfectly clear on this point within the EU. I welcome and fully support the Council's decision to underline the opportunity and the need to build on the synergies between action on climate change and economic recovery. I agree with its view on the need to seek a long-term financial and economic architecture that will integrate our approach to climate change with our goal of transition to a sustainable economy. Such an economy is the only one that is compatible with the avoidance of dangerous climate change and the addressing of the inevitable impacts of existing concentrations of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

It has been widely reported in the media that a changed outlook for the Copenhagen conference has become evident. It is clear that a new and fully fledged treaty is most unlikely to be achieved in Copenhagen. Despite the clear commitment of all parties at the 13th conference in Bali in 2007 to finalise a new treaty in 2009, we have run out of time to complete that task in Copenhagen. At best, it is possible that a politically binding agreement, rather than a legally binding treaty, will be reached. That is disappointing. It ignores the fact that we are quickly approaching the point at which the impact of climate change will become significantly more challenging and more costly to address.

In response to this setback for the international process, the European Commission has said that the minimum outcome in Copenhagen must be a framework agreement on the essential building blocks of a new treaty and a deadline for completing it. The agreement must include ambitious emission reduction commitments by developed countries, adequate action to curb emissions growth by developing countries and a financial deal to assist developing countries in mitigating their emissions and adapting to climate change. My immediate reaction, in addition to disappointment, is that the framework agreement will have to be convincing in relation to the commitment of all parties and the timeframe for finalising the treaty will have to be short. I welcome the announcement of pledges by a number of key players in the international negotiations, including Brazil, the US, Indonesia and China. While this momentum in the process is encouraging, the pledges are inadequate. President Barroso said on Sunday, in response to the sum of the pledges that have been made so far, that we are not yet where we should be if we want Copenhagen to succeed. As I said at a meeting of the Oireachtas joint committee, I do not know what the outcome of the Copenhagen summit will be and I doubt that anyone knows. I am happy to repeat in this House the assurance I gave the joint committee with certainty - the commitment and determination of the EU to achieving a new legally binding treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol is undiminished. While the process may take a little longer than we would like, the objective is unchanged.

I will speak briefly about national policy before I conclude. I acknowledge and welcome the joint committee's recent report on climate change law. The report represents a valuable input into the development of the forthcoming climate change Bill, the heads of which are being developed in my Department. I welcome and take encouragement from the clear all-party support that exists for primary legislation on climate change. It is an important prerequisite to the gaining of broader public acceptance and support for the legislation, when it is published in 2010. The committee is to be congratulated on that breakthrough. The legislation will provide a statutory framework for a core national priority, it will be ambitious in the application of legal obligations and responsibilities across all sectors and it will give legal clarity and certainty to the key underpinning principles that will guide and drive the cross-sectoral effort on transition towards a low-carbon future. My Department has recently completed an initial consultative process with other key Departments and State agencies. The next stage in the process will be the publication of a framework document in the coming days. I stress that this stage of the process will not interfere with the development of the heads of the Bill, which I hope to complete in the first quarter of 2010.

The transition to a low-carbon world economy will happen quickly. We have two options - to move with it, or to be left behind. There is no alternative to this transition. We know it can be done. It is technically feasible, economically affordable and eminently sensible. It will present challenges and opportunities. If we are to get our policy right, we must minimise the challenges and maximise the opportunities for people and for the environment.

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