Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have to be realistic about what we can achieve. I do not want to take any credit - I never have and never will - but must say that the European Council actually agreed with Ireland's position in that it has a very different profile from any other country in the European Union. The only country with a similar profile is New Zealand, because of its agricultural sector. This is why the European Council made a commitment on achieving consensus on what is fair and manageable but yet ambitious, given the fact that we can actually produce so much more and have a pretty sophisticated carbon footprinting situation.

From an EU perspective, the priority was to achieve agreement on an overall EU approach to climate change and energy priorities for the period to 2030. I am glad the European Union set an ambitious target. Headline targets under the EU 2030 climate change and energy framework include a 40% reduction in greenhouse gases, increasing the share of renewable energy to 27% and increasing energy efficiency relative to 2005 levels by 27%. These targets will put the European Union in a very strong position leading up to the UN conferences, this year in Lima and next year in Paris.

From a national perspective we had a number of concerns heading into the October meeting. The Cabinet sub-committee had discussed this in very considerable detail. Ministers and officials dealt with detailed negotiations with the Commission in the lead up to that Council meeting. Following the Council, I believe that these concerns will be addressed in a new way and that we have established the basis for a more realistic and achievable set of targets for 2020. The Council accepted some important principles about the scientific and economic realities of climate change mitigation. It is important to realise that none of this affects the overall EU ambition level. It simply sets out the basis for this country to achieve a fairer share of the burden than it has had up until now.

I believe that we achieved a major breakthrough in regard to agriculture. For the first time, the Council specifically recognised that agriculture emissions are more difficult to mitigate than man-made emissions from energy use. This ensures that there will be a greater coherence between the EU's food security and climate change objectives. It is particularly important for Ireland where the unique position of our already highly carbon-efficient agriculture sector has been fully recognised. The capacity of afforestation to sequestrate carbon has also been recognised as a potential part of the EU's solution to dealing with climate change. That is important for Ireland and we have already agreed major investments with a view to expanding that level of forestry cover. Work will continue over the coming months to determine how this recognition will affect the 2030 targets for individual member states.

I took the opportunity at that meeting to emphasise the economic and fiscal challenge that our country has endured and the effects that we are still dealing with, fragile as they are. I made it clear that our agreement on headline targets is based on a clear understanding that our non-ETS targets, which include agriculture, will take account of our specific circumstances. That is some of what happened.

I have a number of other points. Deputy Martin mentioned the transport sector. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government is looking at the question of the low carbon development Bill. The Government approved the drafting of that in April. On the basis of a submitted general scheme, the drafting of that Bill is currently being finalised with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. Clearly, it involves issues of transport and emissions that will apply. In the first instance, the general scheme will include successive five-yearly national low carbon roadmaps and that will articulate a vision for low carbon transition and address greenhouse gas mitigation obligations on the State under EU law. Successive national climate change adaption frameworks will articulate a strategic policy to see that measures are taken at sectoral and local levels to reduce the State's vulnerability to the negative impacts of climate change. In addition, the Bill will provide for the national expert advisory body on climate change which will provide advice to Ministers on the development of the national adaptation frameworks. Clearly, that includes the transport sector.

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