Results 721-740 of 30,220 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: No, it will not go to Sligo. We spoke about this in the Dáil last week. However, I absolutely support the preservation of that line as a greenway. It is not in the strategic rail review but we are preserving in that way future-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Yes, I think that is a fair summary. The climate action plan is the one where we set out all the extra initiatives. It is fortunate for us that, in developing the NECP, we have the climate action plan there to be the bedrock but we do have to meet our European obligations and do this. There are different base years, and there are different targets and requirements. Our climate action plan...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: It was the same all over the western world. There was not anything different in Ireland from what happened in Britain, continental Europe or indeed America. There are a variety of reasons behind it. I also had to make a decision as Minister where we have a very tight budget. We do not have the money for everything we want. The question is whether we use that €100 million to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: But we will still need people to have access to cars in city areas and we cannot freeze them out. That is going to be one of the most important tasks as well as on motorways. We need charging in destination areas as well. The Leas-Chathaoirleach mentioned west Cork. We need charging infrastructure in Castletownbere so that, if you are a holidaymaker or a visitor to the area, you can get home.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree. More than half of the money raised in carbon tax that is going to retrofitting is going in 100% grants to the likes of the warmer homes scheme. It is being dramatically expanded.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree. I would love to get another €100 million in, but the one advantage of the carbon tax is that we know it is going to increase year in, year out. It is guaranteed income, which means we can budget to increase the contractors and get the apprenticeships up. It is frustrating because there is a wait for the warmer homes scheme, but the reason there is a wait is because there is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I think that will come in the budget in October.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I think the EPA is right to be concerned about anaerobic digestion because there are international examples where it has worsened environmental conditions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Therefore, we need to get it right and I think that can be done. What we do not want to see is a massive expansion, for example, in the pig or poultry industries, which would see this huge economic opportunity to use the slurry for anaerobic digestion, and then have consequential problems with ammonia or water quality. It can be done in a way that protects the environment and provides...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy is right that there are different baselines and targets. The EPA target relating to emissions targets is 42% by 2030. This is broken down into two compliance periods, namely 2021 to 2025 and 2026 to 2030. The EPA is predicting that in the first period we will have a 0.06 megaton gap. In truth the cost of that is very small. To a certain extent the cost depends on how many...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Yes, but the Government also set up the infrastructure for the climate and nature fund. I do not believe there is another government in Europe or globally that has set aside part of what is, in effect, a sovereign wealth fund specifically earmarked for investment in climate and nature. That was very scientifically done in that we took into account some of the work of the task forces on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: As Laura Burke, director general of the EPA said on "Morning Ireland" earlier, the gap is being closed. Continuing progress in that regard will include the use of, for example, anaerobic digesters. Anaerobic digestion was not contemplated by the existing modelling systems.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: We are succeeding in a whole variety of different areas such as renovating our homes and delivering renewable power. I wish to put it back the other way. In the context of areas in which we have a challenge delivering up the scale of renewable energy, Deputy Murphy's own party colleagues in Dún Laoghaire are opposed to the development of offshore wind which is going to be one of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I have not seen the Bill. We will have to look at the legality of it to see if we can do it under the Chicago Convention, which may present real difficulties. It will not, as I said, do anything to close the gap we are discussing here today that we need to close. I will refer to the point Deputy Murphy made earlier. There are trade-offs. It is difficult. Sometimes decisions have to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: We can trade party-political attacks here. I remember Deputy Murphy's party being champions of the expansion of oil and gas exploration believing that it was the future of the country. I saw its posters claiming that we will have billions of euro.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I was there-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I was here in the Dáil-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I was here in the Dáil when Deputy Murphy was making that very case, that is, our future rested with fossil-fuel expansion at a time when, for the previous three decades, our party had been unique and singular in calling out the climate crisis for what it is. It is a threat to our children's future.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: It is somewhere where we do have to make fundamental changes for the better.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Finalisation of Draft National Energy and Climate Plan and the National Long-Term Strategy: Discussion (28 May 2024)

Eamon Ryan: No.