Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am making this statement on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross.

I welcome the mobilising of Ministers with responsibility for the largest carbon emitting sectors in our society. It is timely in the light of the fact that COP 24 is taking place this week in Poland, with the aim of finalising implementation of the Paris climate change agreement. This engagement demonstrates that, similarly, the Government supports the commitment to tackle climate change and reduce national emissions. It is clear that we face an enormous challenge. It is only through collective ambition and cross-departmental efforts that Ireland will begin to transition to a low carbon society and achieve our long-term goals.

Transport has a critical, yet challenging, role to play in the national mitigation effort. It is a sector in which fossil fuel use is firmly embedded and travel demand is growing owing to economic recovery and a growing population. Despite this growth in demand, 2017 saw a welcome fall in transport emissions for the first time in four years. However, we must be on our guard. Despite technological advancements in improving vehicle efficiencies and new lower carbon fuels, we continue to grapple with the reality that emissions savings from cleaner vehicles are being offset by strong growth in transport demand. We must remain proactive in seeking to decouple demography and the economy from climate emissions.

In transport we are doing this through four main avenues. First, there is increased investment in sustainable mobility. Improving public and active transport services and infrastructure is key if Ireland is to cater in an environmentally sustainable way for increasing travel demand and provide a meaningful alternative to the private car. Under the national development plan, €8.6 billion has been committed to public and active transport in the next ten years. Forthcoming key projects include MetroLink, BusConnects, the DART expansion programme and increased funding for cycling and walking infrastructure across the State. Prioritising investment in the public transport network is working. During the reporting period of 2017 alone, an additional 16 million public transport passenger journeys were made, while the number of walking and cycling trips also increased, particularly in the greater Dublin area.

The second strand employed to reduce transport emissions is promoting a switch away from fossil fuels to lower emitting alternative power sources. Even with an expanded and enhanced public transport system, some people will not be in a position to move away from the car. In these cases we need to encourage a move towards cleaner alternatives. Under the national policy framework for alternative fuels infrastructure for transport, the national ambition that by 2030 all new cars and vans sold be zero emissions capable was clearly outlined. To support this ambition, a low emissions vehicle task force was established to accelerate the deployment of low carbon transport technologies. Phase 1 of the work of the task force focused solely on incentivising electric vehicles. Several of its recommendations were adopted in budgets 2018 and 2019, expanding the suite of supports available for electric vehicles. The impact of these incentives is seen clearly this year, with significant growth in electric vehicle sales and increasing numbers of low or zero emissions vehicles on the road. Phase 2 of the work of the task force is under way, focusing on promoting other alternative fuels and technologies, including natural gas, biomethane and hydrogen. The task force in its work puts emphasis on the heavy duty vehicle sector which accounts for nearly one fifth of transport emissions. In the coming years I hope, with the support of the task force, to see movement towards cleaner fuels in this competitive sector.

Meanwhile, in the light of the commitment that from summer next year no more diesel only buses will be purchased for the urban public bus fleet, the Department is launching a low emissions bus trial next week. The trial will assess a range of alternative fuels and technologies to further inform future bus purchasing decisions. Not only will new cleaner buses reduce emissions, they will also provide the opportunity for the public to experience the benefits of non-conventional fuels and begin to normalise their uptake in other transport areas too.

The third channel which plays a major role is the biofuels obligation scheme. The percentage rate of biofuels as a share of road transport energy has doubled since 2010. It is intended that the blend of biofuels will continue to increase incrementally on a sustainable basis in the future. Owing to heavy reliance on oil in the transport sector, this is a critical mitigation tool. In 2017 alone, biofuel use reduced transport emissions by over 3% without impacting on travel activities. It is making an important contribution to reducing transport emissions.

We are tackling emissions through the use of better vehicle standards. We are pushing at European level to achieve more efficient production standards to ensure all cars, vans and trucks registered in Europe will increasingly be more efficient. This presents Irish consumers with cleaner vehicles and a greener choice. Not only are we delivering measures to reduce transport emissions, we must also improve the transport sector’s resilience in dealing with the effects of climate change. In 2017 my Department published its first sectoral adaptation plan, developing resilience to climate change in the transport sector, in which risks facing the sector were identified. We have experienced the consequences of extreme weather events, with damage to infrastructure and disruption caused to public transport services. Key transport stakeholders are making great strides in climate adaptation, identifying vulnerable areas and future proofing them to withstand more extreme weather events. We will continue to build this capacity to ensure Ireland stays safely on the move, regardless of the changing climate. We will continue to work with agencies to raise awareness and build our resilience to climate change. We face a challenge to decarbonise our society. The Department is deeply committed to taking on this challenge.

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