Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and all of the Members for their contributions to this debate. I will address some of the points raised, starting with Deputy O’Rourke who is the last survivor in the Chamber. The Deputy said he wanted to see this debate done on a non-party political basis and some other Deputies also raised that issue. The Deputy's contribution was very constructive and he made a number of suggestions to make matters better. He is correct that we need to go further. The next climate action plan, which will come later this year, will have an emphasis on implementation and acceleration.

Deputy Kerrane, in common with Deputy Clarke, raised a particular project, namely, a boardwalk in Lough Ree and noted that it could be very beneficial to the area. I am happy to engage with her on that issue. I would also be happy to discuss with any Senator or Deputy who may wish to raise with me a particular concern or perhaps a project he or she would like to advance.

Deputy Bacik specifically asked for an open line of communication with Opposition parties on climate action measures. I am specifically agreeing with that suggestion.

Shannon Airport is probably in Deputy Crowe's constituency. Two weeks ago, I was in Luxembourg discussing sustainable airline fuel which, believe it or not, is a real thing. It was a very contentious discussion but the transport ministers managed to agree an approved general approach on this and how we will move forward towards having clean fuel for airlines in future. I am happy that there is a route out of this, albeit in the medium rather than short term. Deputy Crowe also referred to the need for wind area guidelines, which are antiquated at this stage. I am happy to revert to him on that particular issue.

Deputy Bruton asked about how the accountability structures will work for climate in the future. The document we are discussing, the annual transition statement for 2020, is the last of the annual transition statements and dates back to earlier legislation from 2015, which required an annual statement. Under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, we now have annual climate action plans and the facility to have every Minister appear before the joint committee to discuss progress in his or her sector and be cross-examined by members. That is, I expect, the new accountability mechanism.

Deputy Clarke was very keen on biodiversity and how it can be advanced. There is a clear link between biodiversity and climate action and the Deputy referred to specific areas in her constituency that are affected by this. I reassure her that the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is working with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on how to help local authorities to develop their climate action plans. These plans will emphasise biodiversity, just transition, sustainable enterprise and transport.

There is a biodiversity officer in my local authority as there is in Fingal and in other local authorities, although I do not know how many have them. Biodiversity and all aspects of the local environment are areas that local authorities very much focus on, something that can be seen in their various functions.

Deputy Whitmore mentioned the EPA report that indicated much more needed to be done and that it was likely we would not meet the 2030 targets based on the measures in place. We take the report very seriously but it did not assess the measures in the climate action plan on the basis they were not detailed enough. That is why the new climate action plan will be much more detailed this year.

Deputy Cowen is in a constituency in the midlands that is greatly affected by the loss of jobs in Bord na Móna and the ESB. I have to give him credit that two years ago he successfully negotiated compensation, I suppose, for just transition funds to be targeted towards the midlands and obtained EU funds to help with that. He said he did not feel the 5 GW of offshore wind power was ambitious enough and that the target could be more ambitious. The EU, in response to the Ukraine crisis, has also said it wants to increase the ambition for renewable energy by 2030. A number of countries have announced increased ambition levels which they are doing under a project called REPowerEU, which will allow for new means of financing, using green bonds to finance this kind of energy, and for new common rules to accelerate planning times across the EU. Deputy Cowen also mentioned planning as a particular problem that needs to be addressed. I see that Bord na Móna is saying planning is not a problem for its wind farms but the ease with which judicial reviews can be taken against it is, so the legal challenges are a separate problem from the planning challenges.

Deputies Boyd Barrett and Alan Farrell spoke about taxis. Taxis have a very significant effect on emissions and pollution. They drive for much longer periods than private cars and in densely populated areas so the pollution they create has a greater effect than a single vehicle in a rural area. That is why it is most important taxis are converted to be electric vehicles as soon as possible. The same goes for buses, which for many years have been pumping out diesel fumes into populated areas of our cities. Therefore there is a €20,000 to €25,000 grant for taxi drivers to convert to an electric vehicle. If Deputy Boyd Barrett or taxi drivers feel it is not working out, I am willing to discuss that with them.

Deputy Stanley said farmers could not sell their power back to the grid or get photovoltaic, PV, grants. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan also raised the difficultly of farmers getting solar power and he said he wanted more clarity. There are grants of 40% for farmers for PV under the targeted agriculture modernisation scheme, TAMS, and there is a VAT refund for PV for farmers. It is possible to sell power back to the grid and the first payments should come in July. That was something Deputy Berry asked about. If more clarity is needed, I will see if we can produce a document to explain it better and I can discuss it with Deputies Stanley and Berry.

Deputy Pringle mentioned the need for more young voices. Young people are those who are most affected by climate change. They have a larger stake in what happens in the future and they are not responsible for what happened. They did not take those decisions. Deputy Pringle is absolutely right. He pointed out that people should be able to vote at a younger age. I think people in Scotland voted at 16 years in the Brexit referendum, for example. It is something that should be looked at and we should find ways to bring in young people, even if they cannot vote in the short term, and listen to their opinions. There are people who have been protesting outside the Dáil for years. A group of young climate activists has been outside the Dáil every Friday - a non-sitting day - at noon for the past two or three years. We should bring them in and discuss it with them in whatever forum we can, not to convert them from being activists to being parliamentarians but to get their views, listen to them and treat them with respect. I absolutely take that point.

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I think it was a useful exercise. It is historic because it is the last of its kind but we will have other means of accountability and debates on how climate action should proceed. I am looking forward to the climate action plan coming out this year and to the sectoral ceilings being agreed before the recess.

See this speech in context