Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Cairns for raising this issue. I agree that climate change is the most pressing challenge for society. The planet is on fire and major action is required. At a European level, and I will make this point in Brussels today, we need to be more ambitious in the EU strategic agenda in terms of its commentary on action on climate.

We have some encouraging signs. I will not waste the Dáil's time in listing them all because we know them, but the EU emissions trading scheme for Ireland shows that we saw a significant decrease, 17%, in power generation and industrial emissions in 2023, which is more than 2.4 million tonnes. Emissions from the electricity generation sector decreased by almost 24%. I accept there is a lot more to do, however. The decision to establish that fund will be seen in time as a really important step. The fund is meant to be spent down after 2026, for logical reasons, which is not to suggest that the Government will not act or spend more between now and 2026. Let me reflect on the Deputy's points.

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