Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On that last point, we should be careful that we are comparing like with like because one of the unfortunate difficulties is we are starting on effectively a zero level not having achieved any of the reductions that we had expected by 2020 and for us to get to 51% is the full 51 yards. In the European Union, most of the countries are significantly ahead of us in the emissions reductions that they have already achieved and it is the equivalent of starting a 50 m race where they have a 20 m, and sometimes a 25 m, head start on us. Our level of ambition will be way beyond any of our European comparator countries because we have so much catching up to do. We can do it. It will be good for our country.

The more public consultation we do to get a widespread understanding of that and public buy-in to the solutions in a bottom-up way the better, but no one should underestimate the scale of the change. No one has ever done a 7% per annum reduction in climate emissions.

I was following the committee proceedings with the likes of Professor Kevin Anderson, and others whose work I know well, who is absolutely right. If one is adhering to the Paris climate timetables to meet a 1.5°C temperature increase limit, much more aggressive and ambitious timelines would be needed. I will be honest. First of all we have to show that we can achieve the existing level of ambition. If we can do that, I would have no problem accelerating but no one should underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead of us.

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