Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Climate change is a hugely significantly challenge for humanity and there is a real urgency in dealing with it. This Bill sets out to take on the challenges. People are making efforts in their everyday lives and there is goodwill there in taking on those challenges. The burdens vary from person to person but it is appearing to fall disproportionately on some people more than others. This is a real concern. Any transition must be a just transition and the State has its role to play in that just transition as well.

There are households who heat their homes with solid fuels - turf, timber or coal - and they want to insulate their homes. They are being pushed to the pin of their collar with the cost of fuel yet they are kept waiting for the opportunity to insulate their homes and to get funding through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI. It can take up to two years for SEAI to inspect a house, not to mention to get the work done subsequently. In the meantime, householders are paying more for fuel. There needs to be a greater energy in terms of SEAI in rolling out those housing grants. It is not the only example of where the State is dragging its heals.

Where people want to develop green tourism in terms of our clean green environment and maybe have public electric car-charging points at different places around the country, the local authorities are just not advancing the infrastructure. I have raised this previously with the Minister. SEAI has funding to build public electric car-charging points yet less than half the local authorities have made inquiries about that funding, and no more than two or three local authorities have drawn down funding to put in place infrastructure. This is despite there being funding available and it being part of the local authorities' development plans to put in place electric infrastructure.

Transport networks need to be advanced to give people an alternative to driving to work or college, and I have raised this repeatedly with the Minister. One must realise that even when this is done, in many rural areas the car will still remain the only realistic option for many people. It is difficult to expect people who do not have alternatives to keep paying more and more for basic everyday journeys. It must be taken into consideration. A just transition is necessary and the State agencies must play their role in delivering that.

On wind energy, for far too long some communities have felt that they have been carrying more than their fair share of wind farm developments, with more and more being built in the same areas and putting pressure on those communities. There needs to be a greater emphasis on moving to offshore options. Offshore must be explored more. There is an emphasis on that now and that is a positive. It is good to see that movement. Can the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, clarify whether that emphasis will exist for new and-or existing developments because we see a great many of the wind farms around us moving into the second third of their life span and they will need a renewal of their planning permission in the five to ten years ahead? Where will they stand? Will the emphasis push them out into the sea or will they be taken down as part of an offshore move? That needs to be clarified.

Many farmers feel victimised in the whole situation. They have been the custodians of the countryside over many generations. They are providing clean green food locally yet they are perceived as damaging the environment and needing to scale down livestock numbers, which, in turn, would result in the need for food to be transported long distances from other countries. It is a lazy criticism of agriculture and does not take into account the huge work on the environment that farmers continue to do. Science has been applied in numerous different ways, whether it is in the genomics or in fertilisers. There are further opportunities there for agriculture. It does not have to be a lazy option of reducing numbers, on which farmers feel threatened.

Credit should also be given for hedgerows. Teagasc estimates that 7% of the countryside is covered by them yet the hedgerows are not getting recognition for their carbon sink value that they should be.

Through its passage in the Oireachtas and the debate and the engagement with the Members, I hope that this Bill will be amended and strengthened because there must be buy-in from all different sides and people must have ownership of it if there is any chance for it to be successful, and we need it to be successful.

Tá dúshlán mór roimh an bpobal i gcoitinne ó thaobh athrú aeráide de agus tá dea-thoil ann, i measc an phobail, chun dul i ngleic leis an dúshlán sin. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach a aithint nach bhfuil an dúshlán nó an t-ualach sin ag titim go cothrom ar gach aon duine. Níor chóir an claonadh sin a bheith ann. Chaithfí cothrom na Féinne a bheith ann i gcomhair gach aon duine. Má tá aon just transition chun bheith ann, ní leor labhairt faoi. Chaithfí é a chur i bhfeidhm i gcomhair an phobail. Mar a luaigh mé, bíonn tithe atá cóngarach dúinn, agus tá aithne againn go léir orthu, ag úsáid breosla ar nós guail, adhmaid, nó móna chun an tigh a théamh.

Fiú dá mba rud é gur theastaigh uathu insliú a dhéanamh ar an tigh, bheidís ag feitheamh thart ar dhá bhliain chun go gceadódh an Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, deontais dóibh. Níl sé sin sásúil in aon chor. Ba chóir don Stát a bheith ábalta brostú ar aghaidh agus daoine a chur ar a gcumas an t-athrú sin a dhéanamh, nuair atá an dea-thoil ann agus nuair a theastaíonn uathu é a dhéanamh.

Ní hé an SEAI an t-aon ghrúpa Stáit atá ag déanamh faillí ann ná a bhfuil leisce air. Tá sé le feiceáil chomh maith i measc na gcomhairlí contae leis an lagéileamh atá ann maidir chun na car chargers leictreacha a chur ar fáil i measc an phobail.

Níl fiú ach leath dóibh tar éis fiosrú a dhéanamh mar gheall ar na deontais seo agus níl ach dhá nó trí chomhairle tar éis airgead a éileamh chun na chargers a chur i bhfeidhm in ainneoin go bhfuil sé mar chuid den phlean forbartha sna contaetha éagsúla.

Ní leor a bheith ag labhairt mar gheall ar just transition nó chothrom na Féinne a thabhairt do dhaoine. Chaithfí é a chur i bhfeidhm agus tá ról ag an Stát maidir leis sin.

Maidir le gaoth, braitheann an-chuid pobail in áiteanna a bhfuil an t-ualach ag titim san áit chéanna arís agus arís eile agus go gcaithfí druidim amach i dtreo na farraige chun fuinneamh a chinntiú.

Is rud dearfach é go bhfuil an iarracht sin á déanamh. Chaithfí a aithint go raibh an-chuid feirmeacha gaoithe ann anois le 15 bliain agus níos mó agus go mbeidís ag druidim leis an tréimhse a bheadh athnuachan ag teastáil ar an gcead pleanála. Mar sin, an bhféadfadh leis an Aire Stáit an scéal ansin a shoiléiriú?

An mbeidh an claonadh i dtreo na farraige ag cur isteach ar na ceadanna pleanála sin? An mbeidh an athnuachan sin ar fáil nó an mbeidh ar na feirmeacha gaoithe, a bhfuil cuid acu ann le thart ar 15 bliain agus níos mó, an athnuachan a thógáil anuas agus rudaí á mbrú amach i dtreo na farraige? Ba mhaith liom soiléiriú air sin.

Ní bhaineann an gné eile seo go díreach leis an mBille ach tá sé tábhachtach aird an Aire Stáit a tharraingt air agus tá sé mar gheall ar na deontais phobail a bhíonn ar fáil ó na feirmeacha gaoithe. Le fada an lá, cuireann cuid acu, luaim cuid mar nach bhfuil sé acu go léir, deontais ar fáil don phobal. Tá nasc díreach idir an pobal agus an fheirm ghaoithe.

Tá gluaiseacht anois atá ag cur eagraíochta eile eatarthu, chun go mbeidh na deontais sin á scaipeadh i measc an phobail ag eagraíochtaí eile amhail coistí forbartha cosúil leis na grúpaí LEADER agus mar sin de. Braithim go gcuireann sé sin bearna ann nó go n-osclaíonn sé spás idir an pobal agus na feirmeacha gaoithe agus na daoine atá ag baint brabúis as an infreastruchtúr.

Anuas air sin, braitheann go leor den phobal nach bhfuil aon scrúdú ceart ná oversight ann maidir leis an gcaiteachas a bheidh ar fáil agus go bhféadfadh thart ar 10% de na deontais a úsáid i gcomhair administration costs agus i gomhair na deontais a scaipeadh iad féin agus nach bhfuil aon eagraíocht le oversight air sin agus is cailliúint don phobal é sin.

Mar sin, tá dhá dheacracht ann agus is fiú iad a scrúdú mar is amhlaidh go bhfuil an tAire Stáit ag briseadh an naisc dhaingin, má tá aon nasc ann, idir pobal agus na feirmeacha gaoithe atá ag baint brabúis as. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach, má tá a leithéid d’infreastruchtúr i gceantar, go bhfeiceann an pobal go bhfuil tairbhe leis agus nach mbíonn siad ag braith an rud diúltach an t-am ar fad ann.

Ba cheart go mbeadh nasc díreach ann, fiú dá mba rud é go raibh deis ag daoine a bheith ag charging an gluaisteán sa chlós go mbeadh a fhios acu go raibh an leictreachas ag teacht díreach ó na muilte gaoithe a bhí thuas ar an sliabh os a gcionn. Ba cheart go mbeadh tairbhe ann go díreach ansin sa mhuileann.

De réir mar a bheidh an Bille seo ag bogadh ar aghaidh, beidh roinnt athruithe ag teastáil ann. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach go mbeidh an comhoibriú ann; go mbeidh deis ag na grúpaí leasmhara éagsúla go léir éifeacht a bheith acu ar an mBille; go mbeidh aon leasuithe riachtanacha ann chun a chinntiú go mbeidh an buy-in ann; go mbeidh gach duine ar aon aigne agus chun go mbeidh deis ag an mBille dul chun cinn.

Beimid ag coimeád súil ghéar air. Teastaíonn uainn go mbeidh dul chun cinn ann. Is gá go mbeidh dul chun cinn ann maidir le cúrsaí timpeallachta. Caithfidh an Stát agus an just transition sin a bheith ag feidhmiú chomh maith agus caithfidh an Stát a ról a dhéanamh ann chomh maith.

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