Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, I reject what the Deputy has said. Is léir gurb í an ghéarchéim aeráide an ceann is tábhachtaí atá os comhair na Dála seo. Táimid sa Rialtas ag déanamh gach aon iarracht déileáil leis an bhfadhb sin agus tá sé sin le feiscint ón méid infheistíochta atá curtha isteach againn i bpolasaithe éagsúla a bhaineann leis an ngéarchéim aeráide.

There is no resiling or rowing back from our commitment to addressing the issue of climate change because it is existential to our society and the world at large. We are absolutely committed to delivering on our targets and responsibility. I do not accept the Deputy’s analysis. I think the past four years were very significant and the previous Government took very decisive action in respect of fundamental issues pertaining to climate, not least the commitment to offshore renewables in addition to the onshore renewable story.

The EPA’s most recent emission inventory report from July shows a decrease of 6.8% in Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. It is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions have been in three decades, below the 1990 baseline. This is despite a population increase of more than 1.5 million since 1990, the addition of more than 1 million new homes since 1990 and in excess of 1 million extra vehicles on our roads. In many respects, when the growth in population and growth in economic activity is juxtaposed with the reduction in emissions, what Ireland has achieved is quite a remarkable story, but it is not enough. Electricity in particular, industry, agriculture and the residential sector all show decreases in emissions. That is significant. There is huge spending. IFAC says “Spend more”. We are spending on the grid and on retrofits. We are spending right across the board. Fertiliser use has come down. We have to deal with realities as they present themselves. We have to bring people with us too in respect of climate change.

On the Deputy’s phrase “dirty LNG”, the memo today is about energy security. We have a responsibility that if anything were to happen or interrupt our current gas supplies, we would need a backup. It would be irresponsible not to do that. We are doing it in a way that is consistent with the European frameworks and the legal advice we have received in respect of that issue. It is not good enough for the Deputy to throw it aside as “dirty LNG”. There is a fundamental question. If something were to happen, and all the risk assessments have been done, and the gas supplies we are currently importing were interrupted, I would like to see what the Deputy would be saying in this House when the economy would crash.

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