Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is very important to state what this Bill is about. It is about creating a framework through which this country can confront a climate crisis that is threatening livelihoods not only in Ireland but right across the globe. This legislation is, for the first time, providing for a clear, transparent, accountable method through which we can identify what needs to be done and make Ministers and sectors accountable for progressing that. It is not going to be easy. Many people were critical of the climate action plan that I introduced, which envisaged 1 million electric cars on the road by 2030, 500,000 homes retrofitted and so on. It contained many ambitious targets, including the generation of 12 GW of renewable energy, but the reality is that we need to do more and this Bill enshrines doing more.

Most Members support the targets that are being set. Indeed, most of the Opposition is looking for even higher targets than those set in the Bill. That is the background. It is disheartening to listen to this debate because so far, no Member has addressed how we are going to achieve the targets that we all know need to be reached. It is interesting to note that people outside of this House, whether they represent the agricultural sector or any other sector, recognise that this change needs to be made. When one comes in here, one would think one was listening in a different world from that inhabited by everyone outside in the community. The wider community is being poorly represented by those who say "not an inch" and that they will attack this in every way. They assert that they will see the back of every Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, or Green Party Deputy who backs this Bill but they are sticking their heads in the sand. They are ensuring the future for their communities will be worse because we are not starting to address these challenges. That is what they are doing but they are doing it by way of veiled threats against others, claiming that there will be a day of reckoning.

I fully support the idea of a just transition but when one reads the amendments, one sees that there are 11 different versions of what Opposition Members want in this regard. When one reads into the detail of what is being sought, one can see how difficult it would be for the Minister to accept them. They want to maintain social consensus throughout this process but that is going to be very difficult. These are difficult changes that will be challenging but at some point we have to act. We cannot just wait for another discussion and another round of hoping to find social consensus. They want those who are affected to maintain their current income in all circumstances but the reality is that we have been using our planet profligately and we cannot compensate everyone. The taxpayer's pocket is not deep enough to ensure that everyone is left no worse off than before. This is a transition to a new life and a challenging change that we need to make as a community, together. The importance of this Bill is its creation of a framework for doing that together.

The definitions of justice offered by the Opposition include a requirement to be morally fair, reduce inequalities and protect people against financial hardship but a climate Bill cannot do all of those things. They are the task of Government and this Oireachtas, seeking to manage the many challenges we face, including economic, social and climate challenges. These are not provisions that can be written into a Bill, with a Minister made accountable for them. Members opposite cannot say that they will not move an inch until all of these requirements are met. That is simply not realistic politics and many of those articulating this know that it is not realistic politics but they want to create a "heads I win, tails you lose" situation with the people who are trying, in an honest way, to confront the global challenge. It reminds me of the late Brian Lenihan who, when asked about fair tax, said that the only fair tax is the tax that I do not pay. If that is our definition of fairness, we will never have fairness or a just transition.

At the heart of this Bill is a just transition and that is what I find so disappointing about this debate. Deputies are not talking about the substance of what we need to do. In the opening lines of the Bill's citation is a reference to approving a plan that will promote climate justice. It goes on to define what climate justice is about and refers to the most vulnerable persons who must be protected. It then goes on to say how the Minister must handle this. The Minister is required to ensure that a just transition to a climate neutral economy maximises employment and supports those who are most vulnerable in the community and those communities that are negatively affected. That is what is at the heart of this Bill but Opposition spokespeople are trying to pretend that is not the case. Not only is it at the heart of this Bill, the Government has shown its good faith and commitment in this regard. We already have a just transition commissioner and have invested substantially in just transition measures. The warmer homes scheme, for example, is going to be doubled, if not trebled, in the years ahead.

Work is going on in many areas but of course, we have to do more. One of the sectors in which we have to do most is agriculture. In the future, farmers will make money partly from producing food but also from farming carbon. Those on the benches opposite should be coming up with policy tools that will help us to reward farmers so that in ten years, they can have a healthy family farm income. It is doing farmers no service to just say we will not have this, that or the other. We have to come up with policy tools together that will address this problem. That is why the tone of this debate is disheartening. Deputies are claiming that this is an attack on rural Ireland.

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