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

I have listened carefully to the Deputies' contributions. We should bear in mind that the 2013 to 2030 effort-sharing decision, that is, the EU's plan to reduce its emissions by 20% during the last decade, succeeded and achieved what it set out to do. Emissions were reduced by 20%. That was a collective decision by all EU member states. Each member state, including Ireland, was given an amount it had to fulfil and Ireland fell short at the end on the amounts by which it was meant to reduce emissions in the last decade. However, other countries overachieved. Europe succeeded collectively and we share one atmosphere. While I would have preferred if additional climate actions were brought in to make up our numbers in the last decade before the Green Party was in power, that did not happen and, as a result, there was a deficit in 2020 of 4 megatonnes of CO2. This has been made up by buying surplus emissions from Slovakia and this deal was made on 14 February. Some Deputies asked whether the deal had been done. The deal has been done. We have not paid the money yet but the deal was agreed. We have 60 days to pay and the Attorney General advises that we should go to the Dáil and seek approval for this decision. That is what is happening.

Some 4.15 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent has to be purchased. We will be in compliance with the 2020 goals of the effort-sharing decision, but we will have purchased our compliance from another country. I would rather not be doing this deal but we have to do it. The cost of this deal comes to 70 cent per tonne of CO2. The figure of 70 cent per tonne is a small fraction of the roughly €90 per tonne that a European Union emission trading system, ETS, allowance is now trading for on the market. Therefore, 70 cent per tonne was a good price and we are lucky that we paid €2.9 million and not 100 times that amount, which would have been the ETS market price.

The option of taking another country's surplus will not be available to us this decade. Deputy O'Rourke asked, if this is what happened in 2020, with €2.9 million being required at the end of the last year to settle, what will the amount be in 2030 if we do not meet our targets. We expect it will be a lot more severe per tonne. The Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform has done some scenario planning on that and has come up with very large numbers, depending on the extent to which we comply with the emission reduction targets. It is incredibly important that we reduce our emissions this decade, that we follow along with the rest of Europe and that we reduce our emissions by roughly 50%. The emission reduction target set down in law in Ireland is 51% by 2030 and that is in line with the rate that the new effort-sharing regulation says we should reduce it by. They are using a slightly different base but the intention is to cut emissions by 50% across Europe by 2030.

I will address some questions that were raised. Deputies asked if this deal has been done. Yes, the deal has been done. We are looking for ratification. Deputy Whitmore wants the Government to succeed in dealing with the biodiversity and climate crisis and I appreciate that. She has made a lot of constructive suggestions over the past few months. Deputy Barry asked whether the deal has been done. Deputy Shanahan was looking for details on how to account for sequestration and removals, particularly in agriculture. I am happy to provide a briefing to him and other Deputies who want that. It is a reasonable request. He also asked about the deployment of solar and other renewables. The deployment of solar has started within the past few years. We now have commercial solar farms. Two major developments happened in the deployment of solar. One was that we removed the planning permission requirements. I can directly see many public and private sector bodies now deploying large quantities of solar without the need for planning permission, which has been enormously helpful. Anyone who wants to put solar panels on the roof of their home does not have to apply for planning permission no matter how many they have. People can also get paid for the electricity they generate and provide to the grid. These have been significant changes that will help in the deployment of solar more broadly.

As my time has expired, I ask Members to support the ratification of this deal.

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