Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on what is probably one of the most important days in the current Dáil when we assess the current position through annual transition statements on climate change. I welcome the Minister's open and honest statement yesterday at the Joint Committee on Climate Action. It indicated that he is trying to grapple with these issues and is showing commitment and energy. That none of the other senior Ministers are present is disappointing. A procession of Ministers of State read out statements on the Ministers' behalf. It reminded me of four or five lads standing at the back of the chapel during mass, talking about the match and what went on the night before in the pub and the scandal in the neighbourhood. They would watch the people in front of them and every time the people in front of them, who were participating, stood up or sat down, the lads would follow suit before continuing to talk. In other words, they were present but not actually part of the game. It is disappointing that this is also the case today.

Figures were released this week from the United Nations Climate Action Conference that show exactly the catastrophic nature of what we are facing. The Minister admitted that we are falling 95% short of our emission reduction targets. It is shocking that we are failing to meet all our targets to address climate change. While I welcome the slight decrease in carbon emissions this year, we have a huge distance to make up.

As a small island, there is a question as to whether Ireland should bother. We have a responsibility to our children and grandchildren to act. We have a responsibility to the population of the world, particularly countries such as the Philippines that are vulnerable to climate change.

We should not see climate change as a burden. The Minister is a former Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and we should see this as an opportunity to create long-term sustainable jobs. Decoupling economic growth and development from increased greenhouse gas emissions is exactly what is required. We need to talk about long-term jobs in biogas and biomass and we need to create opportunities. We also need more apprentices. Even if we find money tomorrow morning, who will carry out the work that is required? We need skilled personnel to do it, which means training apprentice carpenters, plumbers, electricians and plasterers.

We have opportunities to create security of energy supply on this island. We import almost €5 billion worth of fossil fuels every year. We now have an opportunity to address that and turn it around. We need to use our semi-State companies to achieve this. Bord na Móna, the ESB and Coillte can form the backbone for providing employment opportunities in this area in the time ahead, much as semi-State companies did in the past.

Addressing carbon emissions covers many different areas and will require many changes in planning, developing new crops, reducing waste and recycling and reducing more of the waste we produce. It will require changes in training, developing new scholarships and apprenticeships. We must also move ahead with large schemes in biomass and biogas.

To date, political will has been lacking in this area. Shortly after his appointment, the Taoiseach made climate change one of his priorities. I welcomed that because I had been banging the drum on this issue for years with two previous Ministers with responsibility for the environment, Deputies Phil Hogan and Alan Kelly. Based on the evidence to date, we have not moved a long distance. Many of the key players involved in the energy sector and climate change, including those operating the electricity grid and regulating the industry, as well as energy suppliers and the Government, have failed to show vision or energy. The energy types of the near future will be very different and the power systems of the future will use very different energy sources. Last week, I brought before the House a Bill on microgeneration, a technology that will play some part in broadening the portfolio of energy sources available.

In 2015, when the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill was going through the Dáil, I said we needed to set sectoral targets. That remains the case because if we do not set targets, we will not reach them. In response to my Bill last week, the Minister indicated that a money message might be necessary. That is not the case. I deliberately drafted the legislation in such a way as to ensure it would not necessitate a money message. I do not want the Government to hold up the Bill for that reason. I want it to go to committee and to be progressed. It is an honest attempt to try to address microgeneration, an area that we have not moved on in this country.

The Government has taken some action, but they are baby steps at best. The lack of action in renewable energy has been staggering. Our offshore wind resources are among the best in Europe but we have little in place to take advantage of it. There is just one wind farm off the coast of Arklow. There is great potential in offshore wind and we have much ground to make up.

While it is good that peat plants are converting to biomass, we are not establishing a native biomass industry to create the supply chains required. Instead, amazingly, we wind up importing fuel from across the globe to power these plants. This could be an income stream for farmers and a job creator in the midlands. Failing to act in this area demonstrates a lack of vision. If the Minister does one thing in his term in office, he should work with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to push this issue. It is a pity the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, is not present as I would like to hear what he has to say on the matter. His absence is very disappointing.

Our large agriculture sector means we have one of the best biogas resources in the European Union. Again, we have hardly developed that resource and we must move ahead with it. We must have at least 500,000 electric cars on the road by 2030. Considering the tiny number we have to date, albeit one that is improving, we must move ahead with this technology very quickly. There is a welcome commitment for €100 million for cycleways. The Minister must involve local authorities in this because without them, these facilities will not be developed.

Steps have been taken, but we must improve and work quicker. There must be political will from this House to drive it.

See this speech in context