Dáil debates

Tuesday, 11 December 2018

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions

 

2:40 pm

Photo of Catherine MartinCatherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The key message coming from COP 24 is that climate change is moving faster than we are and that we have to catch up before it is too late. However, Ireland is actually going backwards. Our commitments require us to reduce our emissions by 1 million tonnes per year, but instead they have increased by 2.1 million tonnes per year.

Yesterday we got our latest climate change report card, the climate change performance index. For the second year in a row - twice under the watch of the present Taoiseach - we are ranked bottom of the class. Ireland is the worst performer on climate action in the EU. It is embarrassing, disgraceful and shameful.

Despite all the years of talk and Government announcements about the need to transition to a low-carbon economy, it has been a case of more talk and glitzy announcements than any real action. The report stated: "The long-standing lack of implementation of substantive measures to put the country on a well-below-2°C pathway results in a very low rating for Ireland’s national policy performance". That is basically a technical way of saying that Ireland may talk the talk and spin the spin, but it certainly does not walk the walk, which is the responsibility of the Taoiseach.

Leaders must lead and the people do not want to see our country continually trailing in climate action. It is an unfair reflection of their concerns. The people are way ahead of Government on this. The Government is out of sync with Irish and global concerns and the demands for real climate action. It is all well and good to produce plans, roadmaps and recommendations, but they are of no use if they are not followed and if they do not have cold hard figures to back them up. If the Government were serious about climate action, why would it launch Project Ireland 2040 when it has not been climate proofed? Everything in the plan is wonderfully vague when it comes to climate impacts. Whenever I or one of my colleagues on this side of the House asks the Taoiseach or anyone in government for information on how they plan to tackle climate change, we get the same response: that €1 in every €5 under the national development plan is being spent on climate action initiatives. However, the climate action committee has been told that 60% of that €1 in €5 is already committed energy expenditure, meaning that the €1 in €5 appears to be a sham.

Today I would like to ask the Taoiseach about the other €4 in €5. How does he know what the impact of our greenhouse gas emissions of non-climate related spending under Project Ireland 2040 will be when there are no real numbers in the plan? There are no projected emission reductions, no identification of any real climate proofing. I ask the Taoiseach to give me the number for our projected emission reductions under Project Ireland 2040. I do not want vague plans and more announcements today; I want real numbers. If the Taoiseach does not have the numbers, does he intend to do that analysis?

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.