Results 3,421-3,440 of 8,196 for speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It is for Mr. Rushe, and Mr. St. Ledger may want to comment on that forestry issue as to how incentives are provided.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: And climate debt.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is climate debt.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: And Social Justice Ireland.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am conscious that I do not have much time left. Perhaps Mr. St. Ledger could provide something in writing on forestry?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: Perhaps we could also have his response in writing, along with that from Mr. St. Ledger. I am conscious that other members want to come in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank all of the witnesses. I will jump right in. One of the main concerns I have relates to climate justice. As the witnesses will be aware, there is an obligation in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 to have regard to climate justice but there is also an obligation in terms of equity. I was concerned at this attempt to strip that out and say that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It was a well-made point of the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, that a reduction of 7.6% on a global scale ongoing until 2030 might be the test. That is what was used in developing the target of 51%. If our guests could comment on that being a more appropriate measure of compliance than 1.5°C, I would appreciate it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: In terms of future removals-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I seek a comment only. Professor Anderson and others have spoken about how that 7.6% is based on removals. Is it the case that future risks, such as tipping points, have a higher probability of occurring than some of the future removals? As a result, should the precautionary principle be pushing us much higher?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: To clarify, I was not suggesting 2018 for historical responsibility. The Paris test has no historical responsibility in it, and that is one of the issues with it. My question was about whether 2020 was appropriate as the base year for the volume of emissions in the world at that point. It was an unusual dip.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: That is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (11 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I thank all of our witnesses for attending. I have lots of questions but will leave some of them for the second round. I want to focus on two core issues. The first is the core considerations in the development of the carbon budgets and specifically the question of climate justice. To be frank, I was a little disappointed with the climate justice aspect, which there is an obligation to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (11 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: If I could just have-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (11 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I would specifically like an answer to that question because I am concerned about the climate justice issue. It is important not just from a climate justice perspective but because it throws off the modelling. For example-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (11 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: It would not be consistent with the ultimate objective if the modelling is wrong.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (11 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: We have limited time and others will want to come in. I am not actually asking about the just transition. I am very interested in that area but I am concerned specifically about the assumption in the modelling of our compliance with the Paris Agreement. There are a lot of important policy and sectoral points but I am talking about the assumptions that have gone into the modelling.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (11 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My first follow up point is very important with regard to that Paris Agreement test being developed and used in the development of the budgets. I wish to be clear about the Paris test and the assumptions in it. I am not just concerned about it because it is climate unjust, for example it assumes that Malawi, which has 0.3 tonnes of carbon per person, has the same responsibilities,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (11 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: My final point on this is that I am happy to have this in writing, because I know that people have already responded. My other point is a simple factual straight question. I raised this issue previously with Ms Donnelly when she spoke to us. My concern is that the climate action plan seems to suggest that many of the actions relating to forestry specifically might bear fruit in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets: Discussion (11 Jan 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: I am specifically asking, in relation to the carbon budgets, if the forests planted during this budgetary period would be counted within this budgetary period or would they only be counted when the sequestration has actually occurred?