Results 13,441-13,460 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I should leave a couple of minutes before that. There is a Government press conference I have to attend, unfortunately, on the Covid situation. If it is possible, that would be very good.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the Chair and the committee for inviting me to the meeting to discuss carbon budgets and the climate action plan 2021. Like a number of members of the committee, I have just returned from COP26 in Glasgow. We have all been witness to the powerful testimony of many international leaders from climate-vulnerable nations, who have painted a stark picture of the impact that climate...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I can hear. The development of offshore wind power is critical. One of the significant developments even since the publication of the plan was the publication by EirGrid last week of its plan, Shaping Our Electricity Future, which is really the how, where and how much of how we meet this really ambitious 80% renewable electricity target. It was engaged for two years with very extensive...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I am not an expert on European law. I would have to look to see what the provisions are. The main reason I believe we will not proceed with those terminals is because of the very same energy security reasons I mentioned. Relying on alternative mechanisms would give us greater security. While we need significant open cycle and combined cycle gas plants as back up for our energy system, if...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The outcome of COP is complicated. Michael Mann, that very eminent and brilliant climate scientist and campaigner, spoke at the EPA last night. One of the things he said was that we should be careful about talking down the international completely. This is in the interests of the fossil fuel companies. It is what they do so that people give up and despair. Yes, the last-minute change in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I thank Deputy Bríd Smith. The announcement yesterday was to reduce the cost of public transport. For the first time, it allowed for a 90-minute ticket. The one ticket allows a passenger to go from the DART to a bus to the Luas and back to a bus, for example. It was all about increasing usage and reducing the cost. It is about achieving good connectivity and encouraging people onto...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The age-old narrative of farmers at war with environmentalists has to stop. Going back to what I said earlier about the craftspeople working on retrofitting being the frontline heroes, farmers will be the same because they will have to help us adapt to climate change as well as store some of the carbon in our soil. That is absolutely doable. We must pay them for it. I will make a final...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I think I heard the questions. I might answer them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The first was on rural transport. The first principle is every place matters and every person matters. This has to be inclusive. In rural areas, electric vehicles will play a much more significant role for a variety of reasons. First, they will be cheaper. If someone is doing long-distance commuting, there will be a significant advantage and benefit in being able to make the switch. EVs...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I would mention the European Investment Bank, EIB, also. Not only were we talking about lending for public buildings, but they were also very interested in lending for areas such as forestry and biodiversity services. That is one of the developments coming out of COP26. In the technical details around Article 6 which were approved, the ability to trade and finance such investments will be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with Deputy Cronin. The former President, Mrs. Mary Robinson, said something similarly where she said, "You can't negotiate with science." That last-minute change in the wording about shutting down coal was politically gut-wrenching, as I said at the time. I would make two or three points. First, every single country in the earlier session had said that we had to go for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: I agree. In the context of our foreign affairs, we would work with many countries in Africa that might be producers of those minerals. We do not look at our development aid through a climate lens alone; we have to look at the bigger picture. I will be honest. We have to look at the volume of cobalt and copper that will be needed. One of the ways of bringing down the cost of cars would be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Can Senator Higgins repeat her question on loss and damage. I did not quite hear it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: The forestry proposal came from the Climate Change Advisory Council; it did not come from my Department or me. However, the recommendation is the right thing to do in the context of recognising that forestry is very complicated in terms of the sequestration of carbon. There is often a decade delay between planting and seeing carbon being sequestered. To manage and increase the early flows...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: We are doing both.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Some of the State borrowing is off-balance sheet. Some will be green bonds. We need to throw the kitchen sink at this. I think every source of funding should be used and will be very welcome. The key is to keep the cost of the loans down by reducing the risk, by getting planning certainty------

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: We will pay less if we can de-risk it. The more we can give certainty around the policy approach, the lower the risk and the lower the cost of capital. The key objective is bringing that down. I want to move on, because the one part of the Senator's question that I particularly want to address is the loss and damage issue. It was central to the negotiations in Glasgow. Going back to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: First, that modelling is very sophisticated. Some of our best people are working on it, and really good computing power and detailed data are going into it. It is not lacking sophistication. The point I was making earlier is that the assumptions around modal shift, in my mind, sometimes underestimate what is actually possible and what people will do when safe conditions are created. When...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: In response to Deputy Devlin, I said on the "Six One News" two weeks ago that I expected that to be introduced in January. I ask him to hold me to account if that is not delivered in the month after next. What was the Deputy's second question?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Carbon Budgets and Climate Action Plan: Engagement with Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (16 Nov 2021)

Eamon Ryan: Both interconnectors are on track to be delivered in 2023 and 2026, as I understand. People are confident they will be delivered. I will finally respond to Deputy Bríd Smith after which I will need to run as I have just received a note to say the press conference is starting in a minute. Farmer income is key and protecting the Irish family farm is key. My input in supporting loans...