Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government states that climate change is the single greatest threat facing humanity. The Taoiseach obviously takes an interest in this matter, as do his coalition colleagues, particularly those in the Green Party. The Government has committed to halving carbon emissions by 2032 although, incredibly, the plan expects the next Government to do more of the heavy lifting than the current one. That is kind of ironic. It is polite and decent of the Taoiseach to lump most of the work onto his successors. One never knows who will be around to do the work.

The real question is what the Government intends to achieve over the next five years. I would like to dig into a little detail about what areas the Government will target and what conversations have been had, given that the Cabinet committee has not met. We need to see enormous changes to our economy that will reflect our prioritisation of the climate. We also need to do it in a decent way through a just transition. I have spoken about this numerous times and the Taoiseach has already referenced it today. I share the concerns of other parliamentarians here. I represent Littleton in County Tipperary where people lost jobs with the closure of the Bord na Móna plant.

They will put together proposals on the just transition commissioner. We are committed to our international commitments to halve our carbon emissions by 2030 and become zero emitters by 2050. I know how difficult this area is, as I was the Minister who introduced climate change legislation in this country.

What is the Taoiseach going to do about transport? What will be done in respect of rail lines? What will be done to ensure there is a greater use of rail lines? It is a capital intensive area. In his response the Taoiseach might outline how the Government will support that, and how it will support public enterprises and State organisations so that they are better able to do more to deal with the climate crisis we are all facing. We need to ensure that a number of State organisations are refocused on the deep requirements they will have in the coming years.

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