Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the programme for Government, page 121, on the issue of climate action, I quote: "We believe that Ireland should be repositioned to give global leadership in this area. It will fall to the new Government and the Oireachtas to agree the first statutory nation low-carbon transition-mitigation plan". The mitigation plan falls way short. We have international targets that we have to meet by 2020, including a reduction of 20% of greenhouse gas emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency has said in the last few weeks that the best case scenario is that we will achieve 4% to 6%. There was an all-day Cabinet session which met to discuss this issue recently. We have seen the events in Donegal, on the Inishowen peninsula, in August. We have seen the events earlier this week throughout the country. It was felt in County Laois. We have also seen the effects of global warming. The national mitigation plan falls short. It is an aspirational document. We have highlighted this repeatedly. There are no binding sectoral targets. We are facing increased global warming and also fines in the order of €600 million to €700 million per year from the European Union. We need to start putting that money into mitigation and not into fines. Does the Government intend to revise that plan in the light of the new developments?

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