Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this report. I commend the committee on its work on it and commend the Cathaoirleach, the members and all the witnesses who presented. It is probably an exercise that could be replicated by other committees. The Sustainable Development Goals, significantly, are the only universally agreed framework with the aim of meeting everyone's needs without overshooting planetary boundaries. They are a roadmap to a better and more sustainable future in which no one is left behind. They represent the interconnected nature of the challenges that confront us and are a universal call to action to end poverty, to protect the planet and to improve the lives of everyone.

Unfortunately, however, we are halfway through the 15-year period and only 15% of the goals worldwide have been implemented. I acknowledge and recognise that Ireland has made progress on a number of the goals. However, serious challenges lie ahead for progress on achievement on some others, particularly those relating to the environment as regards energy poverty and poverty more generally. We need ambitious action, but a just transition has to be at the heart of everything we do, and it seems in many instances to be quite far away.

When Coalition 2030, for example, last addressed the climate committee on the SDGs, it made it clear that the Government's plan as regards retrofitting in particular contained several weaknesses. It made it clear that the energy needs of those furthest behind remain unmet, and there are fundamental issues there not only for this committee but also for those tasked with designing and implementing policy and delivering on the SDGs. The energy needs of those furthest behind remain unmet, and that is significant.

There are measures we can take. Sinn Féin and others have proposed that we should have a dedicated scheme targeted at those who are in the coldest, poorest homes and who are burning solid fuel, for example, with deeper retrofits to lift them out of energy poverty. It is a fundamental weakness of our retrofitting plan that there are not specific targets as regards lifting people out of energy poverty. We have targets in terms of the number of BER B2s or equivalent we would reach and targets as regards the number of heat pumps we install, but those targets could be met and we could still have many people left behind in energy poverty while at the same time delivering a massive transfer of wealth in the wrong direction.

There is a lot to do. The committee has undertaken important work. As I said, it could be replicated by other committees. The SDGs provide a really useful framework for measuring and managing. There is a major challenge there but there is opportunity in it if the framework is used, if the right targets are identified and if delivery is made on them. I make particular reference to our retrofitting policy, the national retrofitting plan, and ask what the targets are and what we are trying to do. In my opinion, we need not only to reduce emissions in the residential sector but also to lift people out of energy poverty and give people warmer, cosier homes that they can enjoy late into their lives.

I commend the committee again. Like all these discussions about reports, this is a call to action. Let us hope we see the recommendations implemented.

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