Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this important matter. I compliment Deputy Liz McManus on the good work she has been doing as rapporteur of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security and on producing this report.

It is not good enough that this is how legislation originates in the House. This legislation was promised by the Government, which is now in its fourth year. Climate change legislation was always seen as one of the priorities of the Green Party. One would have thought this legislation would have been enacted by now. It is not good enough to see a Minister of State in the House for this debate. There is no sign of a Cabinet Minister. One other Green Party Deputy has spoken and two Government Deputies shared time. That is the total contribution on the Government side. What sort of commitment is that to a debate on the steps we should take and how we should fulfil our commitments to the Kyoto Protocol and to European targets, which is one of the most important discussions we could have?

Ireland is best placed, throughout the entire European Union, to develop renewable fuels. Yesterday, I heard a presentation from a group of businessmen who proposed a €3.5 billion project which would be worth €16 billion to the economy. They have already negotiated with the British Government to sell it electricity. A number of projects of this nature are eminently viable and should be put in place very quickly. In the short space of a couple of decades, we could be a net exporter of energy to the United Kingdom and the Continent. This is a massive but viable project. It would benefit those parts of the country that have been looking out for investment and development and have high levels of emigration.

The Government should have put this issue at the forefront and legislated for it. I have listened to Deputy Liz McManus, week in and week out, raising this issue on the Order of Business and asking where is the Government's promised climate Bill and why it is not yet on the stocks. I hope the Minister of State takes the message from this debate that it will be a sad reflection on the Government if it comes to an end without putting a climate Bill in place, especially as the Green Party is a coalition partner.

I urge the Government to take the proposed Bill as it is and present it to the Oireachtas as a Government Bill. There is precedence for Opposition Bills being taken. This is an all-party Bill that has been agreed in committee. No one should feel bad about accepting it, especially as the Government does not have its own Bill and there is no sign of one coming at present. It is promised but not here. Perhaps, at the end of this debate, the Government will give a commitment that that will happen.

Tackling climate change is the biggest challenge of our age. We are probably the biggest importer of fossil fuel energy in Europe. We are aware, therefore, of the carbon input to our environment. Ireland has made international commitments, which we have not lived up to. The Kyoto Protocol commits Ireland to remaining 13% above 1990 levels but recent figures show us to be 25.5% above 1990 levels, even allowing for the current recession. The reduction we have achieved is simply because of the recession. It is not because of actions we have taken to reduce our carbon emissions.

Good intentions are not enough. We require a robust framework that will translate aspirations into action. It needs to be driven from the top in a co-ordinated and integrated fashion and it needs to be grounded in legislation. That is what the proposed climate change Bill is all about. The Government must take up the challenge and support the Bill.

This is about taking our responsibilities seriously but it is also about opening up opportunities for innovation and job creation in new technologies that can harness nature's resources in order to safeguard the future of our world. We cannot opt out of dealing with climate change. We have been living in the carbon equivalent of a property bubble in this country. Ireland is the fifth highest emitter per capita of greenhouse gases in the world and the second highest in the European Union. Each citizen here is responsible for emitting 17 tonnes of greenhouse gases per annum, up from 15 tonnes per annum in 1990. Rather than making progress we are still going in the wrong direction.

Politically, everyone has signed up to the need to address climate change. There is now a broad scientific consensus that we need to prevent temperatures from rising by more than 2% above the pre-industrial level. International experts, the intergovernmental panel on climate change and the Stern report on climate change have called for reductions in carbon emissions of 80% by 2050. This Bill puts in place a framework and mechanism for reaching that target.

Figures presented by various people working in this area show that we can be net exporters of renewable energy well before 2050. That would be an incredible target, rather than simply reducing emissions by 80%. Let 80% be the standard for other countries but let us take the initiative.

The Bill sets a national objective of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 along with an interim target of 20% by 2020, with a transparent compliance system and regular reporting. The targets are in line with what the science demands if we are to avert the catastrophic effects of climate change. However, we can do better than that.

Until now, there has been no legislative mechanism by which to achieve or monitor our climate change targets. This Bill makes the Taoiseach accountable for these targets. The Taoiseach will set the carbon budget and targets, report to the Oireachtas and outline the proposals and policies for meeting them. Other provisions in the Bill include: the establishment of a climate change office in the Department of the Taoiseach with staff drawn from the Environmental Protection Agency and Sustainable Energy Ireland; an independent commission of experts in climate change; the establishment of a multi-annual carbon budget and a carbon dividend fund; and the preparation of a national climate change strategy and adaptation strategy.

On the international level, it is the poorest countries that contribute least to the problem of climate change. These are the ones that are now bearing the brunt of its impact. In this Bill, we have addressed the international social justice aspects of climate change by including a provision to implement greenhouse gas reduction projects in developing countries. Here in Ireland, the poorest and those already suffering from fuel poverty must be protected and this is also taken into account in the Bill.

There is so much we can do. This measure is at the centre of Ireland's future economic activity and at the cutting edge of new technology. It should be acted upon regardless of the circumstances, bearing in mind that fossil fuels, which are damaging the climate, environment and world, must be dealt with. We have a mechanism before us for dealing with this matter that is beneficial to both the environment and economy.

It is obvious that this issue should be addressed. If we do not show leadership by introducing overarching structures and development principles and giving direction, our approach will be all over the place. We do not need an ad hoc response. This matter is so important that we need Government leadership. The Oireachtas is all about showing direction in respect of something that is eminently desirable. We cannot be leading from behind or waiting. We must not expect somebody else to act or leave the matter to the private or other sector. The problem must be dealt with in a proper, organised fashion, with the proper context and framework. That is what legislation is all about. It is not about interference but about providing a framework that will maximise the approach to dealing with renewables and alternatives to fossil fuels, which are predominant throughout most of the world.

We must do what we have always been trying to do and what we have been discussing every day in this House, that is, create more jobs, revive the economy and get out of the recession. These matters are all related but we are waiting for the initiative to be taken in this House and for the Government, which has a strong green component, to ensure it is taken as quickly as possible.

See this speech in context