Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----then there is an issue in respect of being able to protect our farmers and deal with natural emissions of methane gas.

The Deputy will be aware that climate change is one of the key environmental issues globally, not just in Ireland. In the context of the scale of transformation, there is a real challenge for the State to meet its targets between 2020 and 2030. It is not a case of being ambitious enough; it is a case of having letting this slip in Tokyo in the first instance, where our profile - for what it was - was not recognised. It should have been the case of building the ambition on top of that and of not in making the target completely unreachable. The extent of the challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line our EU and international commitments - including the Paris Agreement - is well understood by Government. The best technical minds are working on this to see how we can be ambitious between 2020 and 2030 and meet with our requirements in that regard. These are reflected in the 2014 national policy position on climate action and low-carbon development, which is underpinned by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015. The national policy and the 2015 Act provide the high-level policy and statutory direction for the adoption and implementation of successive national mitigation plans.

The Deputy spoke of building the greenway from Athlone to Galway. Does he not appreciate the difficulties that arise when one tries to do something like that? It is now virtually impossible to make any move in this country without taking into account the litigious nature of people. This presents difficulties and, under the law of the land, there are opportunities for people to object to everything. It is not possible to walk in on farmer X or farmer Y and say that we are suddenly putting in place compulsory purchase orders in respect of their land in order that we might put in place a greenway to allow people to pass through. There must be a process of consultation and discussion in the same way that I hope Ministers will be able to bring forward the regulations relating to wind turbines in the next weeks. We have had this debate for quite some time, including around carbon emissions, diesel emissions and the fraudulent activity of a number of motoring companies that have resulted in fines which are exceptionally high.

The measures include the emissions trading scheme; the carbon tax; the renewable electricity support schemes; the renewable energy prototype development funding; financial supports through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, large industry energy network and the small to medium enterprises support schemes; social housing energy efficiency upgrades; the near zero energy building standards; the building energy rating certificates; the public sector energy efficiency strategy; public transport investments and smarter travel initiatives; tax and financial incentives for low-emission vehicles; biofuels obligation schemes; the Rural Development Programme; and the forestry programme. These are all areas in which Ireland is working intensively to meet its targets and live up to its requirements.

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