Results 27,361-27,380 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: On data centres, it is an application of a range of different solutions. I will address the biggest concept in this regard. Let us say there is a weather system coming in over the Atlantic. Obviously, wind follows that across the Atlantic to the west coast of Ireland, the Irish Sea, the UK, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and so on. I can see a world evolving where data centres that are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: We will need both microgeneration and large-scale. It is interesting how things change. Had the Deputy asked me ten or 15 years ago whether I thought small-scale wind had a future, I would have said "Yes". Now, the answer is "Yes", but only in very isolated areas or certain inaccessible places where the wind is very strong. The reality is that larger turbines are so much more efficient...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: That is why Shaping our Electricity Future is the right plan because that points to where the new developments need to take place. It is grid led, not developer led. I do not think that is the developers' plan. They are not building a huge grid for the sake of it. They have actually pared back much of what their plans were. Ironically, in the Dáil Chamber a few weeks ago, TDs from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I will make one point with regard to the broad approach we are taking in coming back to the legislation, to which Deputy Whitmore is right to bring us back. One of the issues within the legislation under section 14A(1) is that this process needs also to deliver some specific responses in a variety of different sectoral areas. Rather than reading those out, if it is agreeable to the Chair,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: It will be a short note with the same speaking points I would have read out. With regard to ambition and the overall structure of where we are and where we are going, one of the key issues I alluded or referred to was that we had a real challenge with land use emissions, which are a significant part of our emissions. The challenge became apparent in the drafting of the Climate Action Plan...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: That is something we would have to do in the allocation of the black box. We could look at a mechanism to close the gap, depending on what that gap is, and that in itself may vary. The exact management of this will have to be worked out. As I said, it is an iterative process. At the very start or, if I recall rightly, even in the programme for Government back in 2020, we could see some of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: No one is saying 29%. That is if we do not go further.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: We have to go beyond. We have to go for 51% but we have to do so in a way that recognises that the science on what is happening in land use in particular is varying and the baseline changes. We have to have some flexibility on how we manage that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I mentioned some of the additional measures we may look at such as rail freight. Some will be involved in delivering what we have committed to, such as the hydrogen strategy, which I do not think was published in the CAP 23. That is an example of a technological development. Another one is the role of food additives. I am now going away from my own sectoral emission areas a bit but that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Yes, as an example of a measure we will have to consider. That might become something we would look to incorporate in a revision of the second budget of the sectoral emissions ceilings which is from 2026 to 2030. There will be a process where we would assess those options and come to agreement on them in time for them to be set into the climate budget for 2026 onwards.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy is correct to focus on these elements. This is complicated because we have our national targets and our national legislative system, but we are also doing something similar in a European system where we have effort-sharing. Not only that, we also have the 20 pieces, I think it is now, of the European Fit for 55 legislation that will drive so much of this and place so many...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I am just getting some advice from my Department officials here. It is tricky sometimes in committee when the civil servants cannot speak at all. I do not know why the rules are such. I do not want to bring the committee into private session.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Sometimes I believe we are too restrictive. I will not challenge that but it is good to hear from the civil servants sometimes because they do have the expertise. On the broader point, we are ahead of target on the retrofitting targets. The warmer homes scheme is 100% grant funded for those on low incomes. The main criteria for that scheme is that the applicants are entitled to the fuel...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: That does make sense because the cost comes down, be the homes private, social, owned by the council or owned by the citizen. We must look at how we do it. There are some 3,000 heat pumps going in under the grant system this year. We need to see that accelerating. This is one figure that is not going up as fast as I would like. We need to really push that. The July study referred to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I will make one point on that, if I can. I agree fully with Deputy O'Rourke. The reason heat pumps are so attractive is, first, one gets a really gentle, warm heat. It gives us flexibility. We will go into a world where heat pumps will turn on and off based on what the electricity price is and allow us some of that balancing capability around renewable power. Going back to what I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I think I have sufficient information from my officials to not have to go into private session but we can come back on any of the details at a later stage as well. First, on how the country is doing, I said some areas were doing well. Historically, where we have been poorest was in the heat area. We were good at renewable electricity. We were not as good in renewable heat and in meeting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I am conscious we are in a legal process here under our law. I understand the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, is due to appear before the committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: He was here this morning.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I did not realise that. The Minister clearly has sectoral responsibility and I would be reluctant to tread on his toes in any way. I might answer the Deputy's question on the coherence of overall Government policy, for which, as climate Minister, I have responsibility. I earlier mentioned the various task forces we have set up. Three of the most significant, and they are the ones that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan Review: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I will come in. There is a difficulty. A sectoral approach is very good, in a way, to hold Departments and Ministers responsible. There is crossover, however and nature-based solutions are going to be key. How we manage our rivers is going to be important and key. I agree with the Deputy on the issue on the River Shannon. It is a big challenge for us to change that system to accommodate...