James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

74. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department intends to carry out an audit on the capital infrastructure projects contained within the national development plan, in relation to the Climate Action Plan 2021. [62459/22]

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

At the outset, I will very quickly reference the situation this morning. Many of us awoke with horror at the news that has come from Lebanon. I express my sincere condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family of the soldier who died and to those who were injured this morning. Unfortunately, there is a connection to our local area. I wish the individual well and hope for his speedy recovery, which we are praying for.

My question is on the national development plan, our carbon targets and capital projects contained within the plan. With the Galway ring road, we all saw what can happen with new road projects when these things are not brought into consideration. Will the Department of Transport carry out an audit to see whether all projects can be completed while complying with the targets set by this Government in the Climate Action Plan 2021? Will the Minister indicate what the ramifications and impact of those targets will be?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Climate Action Plan 2021 set out policies, measures and actions to support the achievement of Ireland's legally-binding emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2050. The 2021 plan was a cross-departmental effort with inputs and commitments from a range of Departments and State agencies. It provided indicative ranges of emissions reductions required for each sector of the economy to reach our 2030 target while also setting out the actions needed to deliver these targets.

A review of the national development plan, NDP, was undertaken by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in October 2021 and an assessment was provided on the contribution that Exchequer-funded capital spending in the NDP will make to seven climate and environmental outcomes, namely, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, water quality, air quality, waste and circular economy, nature and biodiversity and the just transition. Priority investment programmes included in the NDP were assessed on the above environmental outcomes and given a score of +3 to +1 if the estimated impact was positive, 0 if it was neutral and -1 to -3 if negative. Departments were initially asked to self-assess their programmes based on the criteria above and those scores were reviewed by a panel of experts across the public sector.

It was not the role of the NDP review to set out a specific blueprint for the achievement of the climate action plan actions nor is it the role of my Department to undertake an audit on the capital infrastructure projects contained within the NDP. Rather, Departments in receipt of the capital investment allocations are directly responsible for developing a detailed suite of policies and measures to maximise the impact of this planned investment in delivering actions and achieving targets detailed in the climate action plan, including staying within the sectoral emissions ceilings agreed by the Government last July. Furthermore, in bringing forward proposals for consideration, Departments must set out for the Government the climate impact of those proposals.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the information. I am not necessarily coming here with a wrecking ball, but the State has put everything into the national development plan that we intend to build in all facets of infrastructure. It must, though, consider other plans put forward by the Government. My great concern is that, if we look at the calculations for the capital development of new projects around the emissions of those projects, I understand the Department of Transport and the agencies within it would be tasked to the 2018 emissions levels. If we look at those levels, they will show us very quickly that not much was going on in terms of major capital development projects in infrastructure in 2018. I refer to projects at an advanced stage and where a great deal of heavy activity was under way. Building public transport and roads involves the use of a significant amount of machinery and manpower, from a mechanical and emissions perspective. It would be worthy to look at this aspect, because we need to know if these targets are realistic.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The targets are based on science, in respect of what was agreed in Paris in 2015, as well on what has been further agreed on by science since. If we do not, as an example of a developed country, halve our emissions this decade and get to net zero by 2050, then we risk going over certain tipping points where climate change will become a runaway phenomenon. It is impossible to know exactly where these tipping points are and the choice made in the context of the Paris agreement of the 1.5°C target, to not allow the global average temperature increase to go above that level, gives us not the certainty but the probability that we may avoid this runaway scenario. This is, though, based on the targets set.

Even with all the challenges that come with this, especially in a country with a growing population, a rapidly growing economy and the emissions that come from some of the solutions, as the Deputy said, in the context of building a railway system, which involves emissions in its own right, we must still make this change. We have committed to it our national law but we have also seen this being committed to in European law. We are not going to go to the EU and ask it to count Ireland out of this green transition. Equally, if the Deputy were to look at many of the large industrial players in his own constituency, the big foreign direct, FDI, investment companies in east Cork, these are also committing to this climate target. They will want to work with countries and governments similarly committed. We do not, therefore, have an option. We must go for this. It is hugely challenging but it is the right thing to do.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Without the lecture, I came here this morning with a valid point about the projects contained in the national development plan. It is a bit ironic that the national development plan has projects in it that are being brought to court and then subsequently being blocked because of our climate action targets. What has happened in Galway has created a precedent that will impact other areas of the country if the planning process is not done right. I know there is an error within the documentation from a planning perspective, but I have come here with a valid point. All I am asking is that some degree of an audit is carried out in this regard.

I say this because, effectively, if we want to build new public transport infrastructure, as well as roads, we must also acknowledge the fact that the 2018 targets in respect of capital development of new infrastructure is so low that it is very difficult to give the State agencies that must carry out this work the space they need to do it. I know exactly how important it is that we tackle our climate emissions target. I am just making the point to the Minister, however, that the new limits in place now are prohibitive when it comes to putting in new public transport infrastructure and roads. I ask the Minister to please take this point on board.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Whatever one's position on the Galway ring road, this development has highlighted, as Deputy James O'Connor has pointed out, a disconnect between the planning system and the appraisal frameworks we have to ensure that project proposals are climate-aligned, climate-proofed or carbon-emissions assessed. We also have read newspaper reports in recent weeks that a similar appraisal tool is to be used now for the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. Is a body of work under way at Government level to develop appraisal tools to ensure decision-making in that context is climate-proofed, emissions-proofed and climate-aligned?

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

A major transport capital project in my constituency, the Ardee bypass, has been held up for more than a year now because of a High Court action. The case does relate to environmental issues. It is important, though, that projects in the plan should be pushed forward. If there need to be special settings of courts or special courts to deal with issues concerning environmental and other climate change issues, then these should be set up urgently. The people of Ardee are faced every day with huge heavy goods vehicles, HGVs, polluting the atmosphere around people as they are walking up and down the town, going about their business, to and from schools, doing their shopping, etc. This is not good enough. I am not blaming the Minister personally, but we must have significant action from the Government to ensure there is a finite time for all these legal actions by having quick and due process in the courts.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I accept Deputy O'Connor is making his arguments. I hope I was not lecturing the Deputy but when he asked whether the targets were feasible, from my perspective it is important for us all to understand that while these targets are extremely challenging, the question is whether it is feasible for us to let this go and to take this risk. I do not think it is. This, then, forces us to be challenged and to reach these targets. In terms of doing so, we must constantly review what we are doing in the context of the climate action plan. To answer the question from Deputy O'Rourke, as well, this will include a rethink of how we appraise projects. We must do this, and we are already doing it. The national investment framework for transport in Ireland, NIFTI, is a new way of looking at investment policy that knits in with our climate targets. We do need new appraisal structures, as the IDA has, in transport and every other sector to ensure we meet these targets.

Turning to the query from Deputy O'Dowd, the planning legislation the Government considered this week includes measures, such as new environmental courts, which will help to improve our planning system and consideration of environmental issues. We cannot, however, ignore this aspect. This is why An Bord Pleanála, correctly and independently, to my mind, made its decision that it could not ignore, or that it had ignored, this aspect. I must be careful here because it is a legal context and I do not wish to say much more. The board recognised, though, that the climate must be considered. Much of this will happen at local authority level, such as in Galway. A new metropolitan transport strategy must be developed there next year and it must have climate as its core, or else it will fall at the first hurdle. Every local authority must develop climate plans next year to ensure it is in tune with what we are doing. As I keep saying regarding the scale of this undertaking, no one yet understands the impact it is going to have, but ignoring it or not doing it is not an option.