Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

5. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether he believes the measures that the Government has taken will not be sufficient to reduce emissions to meet both our national and EU climate targets (details supplied); the measures he is taking to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44297/26]

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Recent reports have stated Government measures will not be sufficient to reduce emissions in order to meet our national and EU climate targets and obligations. What measures is the Minister taking to address this?

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 6 together.

We are committed to delivering on Ireland's responsibility to address the climate crisis, and work remains ongoing right across government, not just in my Department, to implement climate mitigation measures every single day of the week. My priority is driving implementation, particularly on high-impact measures with multiple societal and economic benefits.

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, launched its latest greenhouse gas emissions projections to 2030, which show that we are moving in the right direction and improving our performance compared with the previous year. For the first time, the EPA now projects that we are close to meeting our first carbon budget, following a consistent trend of improving projections for that budget over recent years. It is important to remember that in 2018, under existing measures, emissions were projected by the EPA to increase by 4% by 2030 because of population growth and economic growth, and that additional measures would reduce emissions by just 1%. Now, it is projecting a decrease in emissions of between 10% and 25% by 2030, which I welcome.

What we have been able to do is to decouple economic growth from emissions growth. We are seeing emissions reduce across many sectors while our population is growing and our economy is growing. We now have the lowest level of greenhouse gas emissions in 35 years, which is notable, given, as I mentioned earlier, we have 1.5 million more people in our country than we had then. More than 1 million new homes have been added since then. We also have over 1 million extra vehicles on our roads. As I mentioned, the important thing is decoupling growth from emissions. We are now world leaders in renewable energy. We have a higher rate of renewables integrated into our grid than any European state. We are more than halving the emissions in our electricity system, which is significant, and are now projected to reduce that by between 53% and 60% by the end of the decade. Emissions in agriculture are set to decrease by between 4% and 19% and emissions in transport are set to decrease by between 16% and 28%.

The EPA report shows that a significant increase in electric vehicles, EVs, last year has led to a significant change in the projections for emissions in the transport sector and we are seeing in the first five months of this year a further ramping up of EVs, in particular. Of course, we need to do more. I want to focus on the most impactful measures. That is why when I bring forward the climate action plan over the coming period, it will be more focused on the most impactful measures and will report on the ones that make the biggest difference. We need to try to bridge the gap to the target that has been set for greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2030. I have said in this House, and have said publicly elsewhere, that we will not reach that target by 2030 but we are moving towards it very well. We can get to that target in the early 2030s. For us in government, and indeed all of us in the House, it is about looking at the measures that we can take now, such as those we have discussed this morning, particularly the acceleration of renewables, the electrification of our country across sectors and the retrofitting of our homes and businesses. We must continue with the pipeline of projects we have, particularly offshore, and get them to construction.

We have seen from one year's projections to the next improvements. That is good. They are not enough to reach our overall target by 2030 but across sectors, we are moving towards the target significantly.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We accept, and the Minister accepts, that the small amount of money allocated for the new EV scheme, which is commencing on 1 July, is not going to address the issue. The way things are going, those funds will probably have been used up by the end of that month. Even though some money has been ring-fenced for rural areas, the scheme is not going to address the glaring need there.

The EPA has made it clear that even if the current measures were to be delivered, they will only cut emissions by approximately 25%. On the EU side, we are heading to approximately 23% when the obligation, as the Minister knows, is 42%. It is a policy failure. The consequence is that we could have up to €28 billion in fines, although the Minister has questioned that. We will have to pay some money towards carbon credit purchases. That money could be invested in communities and workers. Retrofit schemes are still too expensive. Rural communities are still facing rising costs and we have heard about energy prices. Workers and families have to carry this burden without clear, credible income supports and transition pathways. We need a just transition.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I would not dismiss what the EPA says and I have not done so. I welcome the work it does. We are taking measures that have been agreed at Cabinet and among Government members and TDs, such as Deputy Boland, who support the Government. We have changed the retrofitting grants, which has made a massive difference not only from a climate perspective in reducing energy use but also in terms of cost and affordability. Since the changes I brought forward in the first quarter of this year, there has been a doubling. There have been over 50,000 applications to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, for home retrofitting and bringing about that retrofitting passport, to which Deputy Daly also referred, which means that you can break up the grants and make them more accessible. We are seeing people respond to that now, which is good. I want to see more of that. Nearly €670 million has been allocated to that. I want that money invested and spent. Over 264,000 homes have now had energy upgrades. That is very good for climate, good for reducing emissions and very good for household budgets. There were approximately 5,000 business grants last year. I am working on measures to make those business grants more accessible, too.

I brought in another €40 million this year for EVs. There has been a substantial increase in the number of registrations of EVs. I have ring-fenced €10 million for the scrappage scheme. I have been clear that it is a pilot scheme. We want to see how it works. If it is over-subscribed, it is a success. We want to get cars that are 13 years old or older off the roads. I have ring-fenced 65% of that funding for rural areas, which I said I would. Friends of the Earth and others have welcomed the focus on rural areas in particular. I will monitor that. If the scheme is open for one, two or three months and is fully expended, we will go back and look at it again. That is just an example of the type of measures we are looking to bring forward.

Underpinning all of it is the acceleration of renewables. I will come back in with a supplementary contribution.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I know the Minister has been asked to do that in respect of EV cars and it is good that he is moving towards addressing an issue for which we have been calling for a long time, which is the prioritisation of rural areas. What about second-hand cars? It is still the case that for people who will be selling or scrapping cars, it is a small amount of money. How about a scheme for second-hand purchasers if, for example, it is their first time buying an EV? We need a just transition. We need free or subsidised retrofits for those who need them the most. If you are in a rural area or are an older person, you are unlikely to make that big outward investment to retrofit your home. We also need affordable public transport and more rural connectivity. We need income supports and protections for workers and families through the transition. I ask the Minister to address those points and to have more of an emphasis on older people and rural areas. As the Minister knows, one third of the money for EVs has up to now been given for cars that are worth over €55,000.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank both Deputies. I will try to deal with both of their interventions. Deputy Boland can be assured that everything we do is to try to accelerate the actions we are taking in relation to climate. It is the number one crisis worldwide. Ireland, as a country, has shown that it is able to pivot and change quite quickly. I used the example earlier that we have doubled wind capacity in under ten years. In 2015, there was 2 MW of solar energy in our system. By the end of this year, there will be 3 GW. What does that mean? Just 1 GW is enough to power 500,000 homes. That is where solar has moved quickly. We are seeing a rooftop revolution and well over 120,000 homes with solar panels.

I completely agree about public transport. That is where the national development plan that we all agreed is important. One euro of every four invested between now and the end of this decade is being invested in transport. There is a public transport deficit that we need to catch up with and address with major projects that the Deputy and I are aware of.

In the year before last, which is the last full year for which we have figures, there were 365 million public transport passenger journeys. People are responding. We need to accelerate projects. We regularly discuss the need to get new services in place. The Deputy can be assured that we will do that.

The rural focus on electric vehicles is something Deputy Daly has been calling for. I have also, as part of the additional funding I have brought forward, reduced the value of cars for which grants are applicable from €60,000 to €50,00 because I do not want to grant-aid luxury cars. We want to focus on middle income families and families who actually need that assistance. Under the scrappage scheme, the grant is €8,500. New EV cars can now be bought for close to €20,000. I will not mention which brands; people can have a look. There are good cars available there. I will keep an open mind on second-hand cars but we need to do this through dealerships for certification and application reasons. It is something we will continue to look at.