Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the effort made by the Minister and the Department in recent years. Our task to reduce our emissions significantly is gargantuan and will require a significant and sustained effort from all members of society and sectors of the economy. Effort should not and does not equate to burden. Often we tend to forget this. If we were to look at the benefits of acting on climate change, such as cleaner air and water, warmer homes and greater energy independence, on the whole our country stands to gain. While my party is on record as wanting increased ambition I still think it is important to acknowledge the work done to date, particularly in getting various Departments to work together.

The fact that the Minister is presenting his statement today with three of his ministerial colleagues to account for progress in line with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 and that we have dedicated almost a full day of Dáil time to discussing the statements is an important step. The establishment last year of the climate action delivery board, chaired by the Department and Department of the Taoiseach, is very welcome and provides a structure whereby actions can be co-ordinated and delivered at the highest levels of the Government. I also support the establishment of a climate change unit in the Department of the Taoiseach, serving as the important liaison between relevant Departments.

As each year passes our targets become ever more urgent. The Minister acknowledged in his annual transition statement that our two biggest sources of emissions, agriculture and transport, which together make up well over half of our emissions, are increasing by almost 2% per year. Every year that our emissions increase makes life more difficult for our young people and the future prospects of key sectors in the Irish economy. We know not only that they will have to cut their emissions, but also that those cuts will become increasingly drastic as a result of the unsustainable trajectory we are on.

Increasingly, the threat to our planet is becoming more tangible. The news headlines keep coming. An unprecedented temperature of 30°C was recorded in the Arctic yesterday. Closer to home, April and May were the driest two consecutive months in the Phoenix Park since records began. We face a hosepipe ban due to water shortages. There are fears about our fodder stocks this winter. We have been speaking about decreasing emissions for so long that there is a temptation to be casual as we reduce the scale of ambition needed to a percentage figure, but the Minister will agree that whatever targets and measures are committed to we can be neither casual nor reductionist about them. Averting dangerous climate change requires collective understanding and determination throughout the Irish economy and society.

As I have said, the Department has made great strides in driving a whole-of-government approach to climate action but it is clear that a great deal of the action does not sit with the Department. We need all sectors to play their part while making sure no sector is targeted unfairly and the most vulnerable in society are protected during our transition.

I acknowledge the contribution of the electricity generation sector, which falls under the Minister's Department. It is the one good news story we can celebrate and we should be proud that Ireland regularly tops the polls ahead of our European counterparts in the generation of electricity from wind energy. We have been increasing our share of electricity that is generated from renewable sources and it looks like we were up to 36% at the end of last year. We had a target of 40% by the end of 2020 and it looks like we will not quite get there but it is still impressive growth from our starting point of less than 5% in 2000. We have seen innovation and dynamism from the private and public sectors in getting us to where we are today from the wind energy sector, the national grid and all of the vital national infrastructure that has got us so far.

While I am aware that Ireland is often criticised for its domestic performance on climate change, I appreciate that our challenge to reduce emissions is unlike that of many other countries. Our emissions challenge does not lie in decommissioning carbon intensive industries but in investing heavily in our housing stock and transport systems.

We also have a major challenge with emissions from our agriculture sector. Irish agriculture is striving to be as sustainable as possible. I fully recognise that but we still have progress to make to reduce emissions in agriculture and to work with the sector to identify and pursue the most viable, fair and accessible options for our farming communities.

I also wish to acknowledge Ireland's efforts to advance international climate action, chiefly articulated through the work of Irish Aid and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The UN climate regime, while cumbersome at times, has been essential to driving collective, fair and country-led action. As is often said, climate change does not respect boundaries or economic status, but the impacts of climate change are far more severe and devastating in the countries that have negligible greenhouse gas emissions, such as the countries that fall into the categories of the world's least developed countries and small island states. The UN system gives these countries a fair and equal say on international climate action and we should continue to be fully behind that.

By the same token, Ireland has a strong and well-proven reputation for supporting and standing with countries that are most vulnerable to climate change impacts. While our island and economy are small in comparison with other big donors, our focus and concentration of support for the most vulnerable are applauded worldwide. This has been most recently cited in an OECD peer review of our development assistance. We have become a reliable and entrusted partner to some of the poorest countries around the world, and we should be proud of that. In recent years, Ireland has increased its overseas development aid and international climate finance budgets. These are welcome trends. We are aware, however, that international development co-operation budgets tend to be among the first to face cutbacks in financially challenging times. This tendency cannot and should not become reality in the upcoming efforts to rebuild the Irish economy after Covid-19. Any backsliding on our commitments to meet our overseas development aid and climate finance targets would put a strain on that trust and undermine our voice in the EU and UN systems. It also risks reducing the positive impact of Irish development co-operation in countries that continue to battle the consequences of a changing climate.

It is often and correctly said that investments made today will have lasting impacts for decades to come. I would also like to touch on the opportunities the country can avail of through the green recovery package that was recently presented by the President of the European Commission. Under the recovery package, Ireland is in line to receive up to €1.2 billion in EU grants. This funding could make a phenomenal difference to building back our economy in a cleaner and fairer way. We are at a juncture where we can use EU funding and national investments not only to build our economy back but to bring to life our ideas for safe and sustainable mobility, thriving local economies and improved energy infrastructure.

Ba mhaith liom labhairt faoi mo Dháilcheantar, Cathair Luimnigh. My constituency is seen as an urban one, but it has a significant rural hinterland in the counties of Limerick and Tipperary. In some ways, my constituency is Ireland in microcosm, reflecting the mix between urban and rural. When elected, I pledged to represent the farm families in my Dáilcheantar as vigorously as I would represent those who live in housing estates. There are those who wish to use the climate as an excuse to drive a wedge between rural and urban communities. I reiterate my party's position that it is not a case of an urban versus rural divide but of urban and rural Ireland working together to tackle climate change and to give our children a better and more sustainable future.

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