James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister to the House. I support the motion and I totally condemn the lack of action by the Government to tackle the issue of climate change, which is affecting the future viability not only of this country but of the entire globe. Climate change and the emission of greenhouse gases is one of the major issues facing the world. In light of increased evidence that man-made carbon dioxide and other gas emissions are having an effect on global temperatures. This has been evident in many reports on television recently from various part of the world. It is necessary that all countries play their part in reducing emissions and tackling climate change.

In January 1996, James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies said, "The climate system is being pushed hard enough, that change will become obvious to the man in the street in the next decade". The man in the street is aware of climate changes that have taken place over the past decade, with the effects being apparent to most of us for some time. Environmental issues are a high priority among the electorate, according to published polls over the past 12 months. Public awareness recently received an emphatic boost courtesy of Al Gore's hard hitting movie, "An Inconvenient Truth", which should be obligatory viewing for every school child and, especially, for every member of the Government, considering the appalling and frightening lack of awareness and lack of action on the issue of climate change. Shock tactics, however, may fail to penetrate the sand in which they are hiding their heads. That applies to several of the Minister's predecessors as well.

In the foreword to the National Climate Change Strategy 2000, the former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Noel Dempsey stated:

Business as usual is no longer an option for Ireland. Our record economic growth means that even with flexibility to complete our development, against a low baseline in 1990, our strategy must be radically different in the coming decade. We have already reached our Kyoto 13% growth limitation target. Now we have to achieve the difficult task of dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions over this decade. We intend to do so in a manner that protects our economy, that is equitable and that will place a premium on efficiency and on technical innovation.

These were fine words, but like the empty promises of this Government, hollow and without substance.

The Government promised an ambitious strategy to reduce greenhouse emissions, with more than 20 key measures, including promises to introduce carbon taxes, to introduce changes to the VRT car tax system so that it would be based on emissions and the conversion of Moneypoint power station from coal to a more environmentally efficient and friendly alternative. Of these three promises, only the VRT proposal remains and this has not been implemented seven years later. The Government's review of the national climate change strategy, Pathway to Kyoto Compliance: Review of the National Climate Change Strategy, projected that Ireland will miss its Kyoto target by an annual average of 7.174 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

A plan for carbon taxes was not acted upon by the Government and Moneypoint still uses coal to produce electricity, which is not expected to change. Fuel taxes have not increased in line with those in Northern Ireland so cross-Border fuel trade continues. The review does not measure progress versus the target in the 2000 strategy. However, by taking account of the target change in emissions from the national climate change strategy, we can examine the progress made up to 2005. Carbon emissions were expected to be approximately 73,800 tonnes without implementing strategy measures and approximately 58,400 million tonnes with them implemented. The emissions targets set in 1990 were revised upwards in 2000 but this should not affect the targeted percentage changes from the strategy. Three years are left before the target date of the strategy is reached while the Kyoto protocol period begins in a year. It is extremely unlikely that emissions can be reduced by enough to meet either target in such a short space of time.

After ten years of Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats inactivity, which has produced the least environmentally friendly record in the history of the State, a quick review of the Government's performance shows that it has missed all our Kyoto targets. Ireland's greenhouse emissions are twice the overall target and it is ranked 22 out of 27 countries regarding wind, wave and biomass energy generation. Only 35% of Ireland's primary energy supply comes from renewables. Seven environmental EU directives are still outstanding and the deadline for one was August 2004. A total of 83% of Ireland's recyclable waste is exported according to the EPA and Ireland has consistently finished bottom of the EU league table on recycling.

The EU Commission took Ireland to the European Court of Justice over the appalling state of waste treatment facilities in this country. Our transport emissions have increased by 140% since 1990 and the Government fudged the VRT labelling plan by providing gas guzzlers with a one year window. The Government provided no additional buses to Dublin Bus over a five-year period and voted down a Fine Gael Bill that would have allowed for the compulsory blending of all motor fuels emissions, which have increased to 25.4% above 1990 levels whereas the Kyoto limit is 13%. The Government has no option but to purchase carbon credits at a cost of a whopping €270 million to the Exchequer and the taxpayer.

Last month the EU forced the Government's hand with the introduction of an initiative to force car-makers to cut the amount of carbon dioxide produced by their cars to an average figure of 130 grams per kilometre. This cut is only a step and it must be augmented in Ireland by Fine Gael's plan to charge heavy polluting vehicles a higher rate of VRT — a proposal Fianna Fáil completely side-stepped. In Europe, the Commission has taken a vital and welcome step in standing up to producers of big, heavy polluting cars. However, that must be supported by Government action.