Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted that on the first sitting day of the Dáil in 2023 climate is the top of the agenda. This is where it needs to be. It is not just climate but climate action. Our action plan for this year is critical. There is no doubt that solving the climate crisis is a priority for Irish people. Unfortunately, while awareness and the will to make change is growing, so too are temperatures, sea levels and the number of climate disasters we see. This is why the climate action plan needs teeth. It cannot be advisory. It has to be actionable and enforceable.

The 2023 action plan puts climate solutions at the centre of our social and economic development. This year's plan is the first to be placed on a statutory footing. Previous climate plans indicated what should be done. This plan makes those measures law, legally obliging Departments, agencies and local authorities to follow the plan. This is a part of the plan I want to take the time to welcome. The sectoral emissions ceilings of the action plan are significant. The cornerstone of our climate response is our commitment to reduce emissions. It is also a pillar of the programme for Government, with targets of net zero by 2050 and a 51% reduction by 2030.

Recently, a constituent wrote to me stating that nationally only bold actions will do now and it is long past time for half measures and baby steps. I want to put those views of my constituent on the record. We are two years into our first five-year carbon budget and, worryingly, our emissions are only growing. This underpins the urgent need to reduce our emissions across every sector to turn the tide. The sectoral ceilings and the ability to hold Departments, agencies and local authorities accountable will be vital to allow us to turn the tide, as will Government actions that enable people to go green. The Minister knows this and I commend him, and his officials and team, on all of the work that has gone into the action plan because it will deliver change in Ireland.

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