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

It also offers an appropriate level of flexibility to allow, where necessary, a degree of adjustment and reorientation of plans and strategies over time and within different sectors. The Climate Change Advisory Council, which is an independent statutory body established under the 2015 Act, will have a crucial role to play in developing carbon budgets and is given additional responsibility, through this Bill, to propose carbon budgets to the Minister. Following Government approval of the carbon budget programme, the Minister will invite both Houses of the Oireachtas to consider and approve the carbon budget programmes, ensuring full cross-party participation in the carbon budget process.

In regard to economy-wide action, after the carbon budget is approved sectoral emissions ceilings will be adopted for each relevant sector. The Bill sets out key principles which will influence and guide the development of carbon budgets, sectoral emissions ceilings and the underpinning plans and strategies to ensure the transmission is managed in as fair and just a way as possible. This includes the importance of promoting sustainable development and restoring and protecting biodiversity.

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