Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The fundamental reason to have the climate action plan is to set out that pathway for us to meet our 51% target. That is the fundamental premise of the climate action plan. The Government does not have sufficient policies in place to meet the legally binding target of 51%. That is clear from the EPA's report.

Does the Minister have the information? Is information available on issues such as diversification in the agricultural sector? I ask because if the EPA does not have it, I presume the agricultural sector will not have it either. Does the Minister not see that as a major issue? If we are trying to bring people along, and if the Department and the Government have not specified and detailed how we expect the agricultural sector to meet these targets, that is a major challenge. It will completely undermine the Government's ability to meet the targets set out in the climate action plan.

If the Minister is not going to revise the climate action plan, will he at least put in an addendum to include the details of those issues, such as diversification, that the EPA could not model?

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