Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I refer to yesterday's Budget Statement and the absence of a carbon tax. The Minister for Finance stated: "It is my intention to put in place a long-term trajectory for carbon tax increases out to 2030". He went on to say: "The publication of a special report from the UN's IPCC, underscores the need for resolute action [across all areas of public policy] to meet our commitments under the Paris Agreement." Yet in the budget yesterday there was no reference to carbon tax or even a modest increase in carbon tax. The UN panel is clear. A future of mass migration, mass extinction, famine, flood, catastrophic storm and end of life as we know it is staring us in the face and we must act now. We are only 12 years away from a global warming of 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrialised levels. Debra Roberts, a co-chair of the IPCC working group, stated:

It's a line in the sand and what it says to our species is that this is the moment and we must act now ... This is the largest clarion bell from the science community and I hope it mobilises people and dents the mood of complacency.

Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief, stated:

There is nothing opaque about this new data. The illustrations of mounting impacts, the fast-approaching and irreversible tipping points are visceral versions of a future that no policy-maker could wish to usher in or be responsible for.

Carbon pollution needs to be reduced by 45% by 2030. The scientific evidence is available. The reality of climate change is here. What is missing is the political will and the courage to act. In yesterday's budget, there was no reference to a carbon tax. Jim Skea, a co-author of the report from the UN panel, stated:

We show it can be done within laws of physics and chemistry. Then the final tick box is political will.

Does the Taoiseach have the political will to introduce carbon taxes? It appears from the budget yesterday he does not. The true cost of carbon, if accounting for warming impact, is likely to be between €150 and €200 per tonne. It is currently taxed at 10% of that. The result is a significant IOU for future generations. What is the Government's response to introducing carbon tax and controlling our emissions? When will the Government bring forward proposals to the House for a climate budget incorporating an effective carbon tax and a programme for critical infrastructure and market system change to avoid going above the 1.5° Celsius target of global warming?

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