Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Let us begin with the science. I have listened to Sinn Féin quote the ESRI at length in other debates, so let us quote the report that Deputy Carthy, in his contribution earlier, said did not exist. I quote directly from the early pages of it:

Moreover, a carbon tax is the most efficient way of incentivising carbon abatement; that is, of achieving a given reduction in carbon emissions at the lowest economic cost, with a large literature finding that such taxes would reduce emissions in Ireland with little wider economic costs.

The report goes on to state:

Even though few broad-based carbon taxes have been in place for long, there is now also substantial evidence from ex-post evaluations that they are highly effective at reducing emissions, particularly from transport.

That is what the ESRI says. It is not just the ESRI that says that, but the United Nations, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the expert advisory panel for our country on climate change. That is how the experts say we can reduce our carbon emissions and respond to the grave challenge of our climate crisis. The ESRI report goes on to say that measures should be put in place to reduce the effect of carbon taxation on those who are the most vulnerable. That is what this Government has done. It is what the Government did in this budget and in last year's budget. We changed the qualified child allowance and other social welfare benefits that will protect those who are the most vulnerable to changes in carbon pricing. We are looking at what scientists recommend to deal with the significant challenge of climate change and putting in place the measures, through tax, that are able to make a difference.

I listened to what Independent Deputies said on the matter and can understand why they would make their case. Many do not look to go into government but some do. Sinn Féin as a party looks to go into government. Party members seek to put their case in front of the people, as they have in recent general elections, on the basis of wanting to go into government. They said this afternoon that, on one hand, there is a climate crisis but on the other hand that they will not vote for and do not support the measure that scientists recommend to respond to the climate crisis. There are no circumstances in which Sinn Féin would support carbon taxing since it has made clear this evening it is against the principle of it and does not believe that carbon taxes should go up and change.

To hear that coming from a party that looks to go into government indicates a couple of things to me. Deputy Doherty said that he does not trust Fine Gael. I ask Deputy Doherty and Sinn Féin how this generation and future generations can trust Sinn Féin on climate change when Sinn Féin says it does not want to take and will not take the measure that scientists recommend to help reduce emissions in our country and across the world? When the next young person comes to a Sinn Féin Deputy or public representative of any kind and asks what they will do about climate change, what answer will Sinn Féin give, given that Sinn Féin says that it is against the measure that nearly all scientists recommend for tackling climate change and will not do it? I can see Deputy Doherty smirking about this. He would do the same to me.

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