Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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68. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the upcoming climate action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62750/22]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister for his views on the upcoming climate action plan and invite him to make a statement on the matter.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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With the forbearance of the Acting Chairman, I, like other Deputies, pass on my condolences to the family of the soldier who died in Lebanon last night. Our thoughts are with those who were wounded. We wish them a speedy recovery. They do remarkable work and take enormous risks on our behalf and on behalf of the people of the world who are most threatened. I am sure other Deputies would reflect and share the same sense of grief and loss that everyone feels for that family.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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That is agreed.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I will turn to the climate action plan, which is due to go to the Government on Tuesday. It will be published. I heard some Deputies say we could have debated the plan this week. I would have preferred to do that but we will have plenty of time. There will be time over the Christmas break for Deputies to be able to read what is quite a long document. I hope to have an extensive debate in the new year, which would be just as appropriate if not more so. It will give us time to consider and listen to some of the views of the Opposition.

The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 significantly strengthened the legally binding framework for climate governance in Ireland. It requires delivery of successful climate action plans and long-term climate strategies supported by a system of carbon budgeting and sector emissions ceilings. The introduction and adoption of these budgets and ceilings this year has set out a clear pathway for meeting our carbon budgets and Ireland's commitment to a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030. Those ceilings will be reflected in the next climate action plan which, as I said, is due to be published next week. It is the first action plan to be developed under the provisions of the 2021 Act. Therefore, the plan will reflect the specific requirements of that Act, to include policies, measures and actions for each sector to ensure compliance with our sectoral emissions ceilings and on the pathway to net zero emissions by not later than 2050.

I will point to what I see as some of the highlights of the plan while noting it still must be agreed by the Government and, therefore, remains provisional. It will show a significant scaling up of our ambition and in the delivery of new renewable powers. The war in Ukraine and the high price of fossil fuel gas at the moment is going to drive that, but the plan is going to set out a scale of delivery in that respect that is like nothing we have seen before. We will have to continue with, and double down on, the measures that promote energy efficiency to ensure we use such energy wisely. In transport, there is significant change away from just looking to improve the electric vehicle fleet towards reducing transport demand and shifting to public transport. In agriculture, the plan will promote significant diversification to new ways of earning income and getting work for farming communities, which will help to reduce emissions and move away from a reliance on dairy and beef as our main agricultural outputs. The plan also has applications in respect of the development of the circular economy, which is an industrial application issue. That is another area that will have responsibilities. Those are the core areas where the plan will set out new measures.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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It is clear the climate action plan is going to need to deliver a step change. We and others in the Opposition have been critical about the approach the Government has taken, particularly in respect of the design of schemes. Many of the retrofitting and electric vehicle schemes are unfair because they are inaccessible to many people. At root, it is clear we are on the wrong trajectory. The Energy in Ireland report stated that, last year, emissions increased by 5.4% instead of reducing by 4.8%.

The same is likely if not worse this year. This places a huge challenge on meeting next year's target. Including the upcoming climate action plan when does the Minister believe our first carbon budget will be exhausted? Will it be exhausted next year or in 2024? Will the climate action plan deliver the type of step change that is needed? We need corrective action at this stage to get back on track because we are so far off it.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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We are heading the wrong direction but we are turning this ship and State around. I am absolutely convinced that we can do it. We will be good at it. It is challenging. The statistics I read this morning indicate that our economy has expected growth of 8% this year. That is not an excuse but a reality. We have a massive increase in population. Our targets are not set on a per capitabasis, they are fixed quantum so when an additional 70,000 people come into the country, and in fact there are far more if we include migrant workers and others coming, as well as natural population increase, it presents huge challenges. I believe we can do it. There were significant increases last year due largely to transport and agriculture. Transport is coming back because of post-Covid-19 activity and agriculture because of growth in the dairy herd primarily. To be honest it is uncertain. I look forward to the final figure from SEAI. There are slightly different statistics. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, came out the other day with an assessment of a reduction in transport overall use. We will review those SEAI figures. This work has advanced and developed the modelling capability in the State. We are working collectively on that. We can and will meet the targets and the budgets. More than anything else it requires political commitment. There is no shortage of it on this side. However, much of what feeds into this is in local government and in future Governments to make sure we deliver on what has been set out.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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Let us get real. I have heard that a few times from the Minister. Deputy Ryan is the Minister with responsibility to deliver on this and he said we are going to meet our budgets. We are not going to meet our first carbon budget. It is very clear that we are not. I am not saying that in order to score political points. Of course there is a need for significant movement in local government. We know that in regard to delivery of active travel. However, there needs to be a recognition that the Government’s approach is not delivering. It is a challenge and the Minister does not have to accept everything that the Opposition says in regard to the design of schemes but it is clear, as the SEAI said yesterday that there was an increase of 17.3% in electricity generation because we are heavily reliant on coal, oil and gas. We support the Minister on delivery of renewables. We want to see that happen. That is why I have a question later on which will deal with that. When will the first carbon budget be exhausted? That is a straight question. I would like a straight answer to it. I do not doubt the Minister's own commitment to this but I severely doubt his Government's commitment to delivery. We cannot get from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Committee on Environment and Climate Action. It is very serious. I do not accept that there is a Government commitment to deliver on these budgets. I think they will be missed. There needs to be an acknowledgement of that.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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We cannot predict forward to 2025 yet.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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We have a fair idea.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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There are challenges. I use the word "can". It is not certain. It will require incredible change, a scale of change that nobody really understands yet in the political system. Work being done here is on the basis of real, detailed modelling of what is actually happening in our country and what would happen if we took certain steps. If we look at that SEAI press release and what it says about what we need to do to get back on track, and we need to come back on track, those are the broad measures that are included in the climate action plan. It is based on a realistic assessment of what is happening throughout the country and what could happen. It is not certain. Nothing is certain in this world. It is changing very quickly. We are going to give it our absolute best shot. The best shot is set out within the climate action plan. I am absolutely committed to doing everything I can to make it happen. Nobody should underestimate the scale of the challenge. The challenge of transport, just to pick one, involves the reallocation of space. When I go around the country to all the councils to ask what they are going to do to deliver that, it is not easy. More than anything else it will require political commitment in this House and at local government level to take some brave, ambitious decisions which will benefit this country. It is not certain but we can do it.