Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Áine Brady. I listened to her introductory statement with interest. The disastrous flooding that has affected so many parts of the country reminds us of the important consequences of climate change. Scientists tell us that such flooding could occur every two to three years in future. This year has been the warmest on record according to the World Meteorological Organization. Addressing the climate change conference in Copenhagen, the WMO's secretary general, Michel Jarraud, said that China has had the worst drought for years, while Kenya has had food shortages, and there have been heatwaves in India and Australia. Those are just some examples of the international impact of climate change.

As the Minister of State said, it is accepted that a comprehensive and legally binding treaty will not emerge from Copenhagen. That is the expectation as of now and it is disappointing. The Government, however, must push for a resolution that is closest to such a treaty.

President Obama and the Chinese Prime Minister have both made pledges on climate change while the EU has offered to reduce emissions by 20% on 1990 levels. Under certain conditions, the EU will increase that figure to 30%. We in the EU are setting a standard and giving leadership in this area. We need a Kyoto-style agreement to emerge from Copenhagen which will be legally binding. Meanwhile, it is expected that President Obama will improve the American offer during the Copenhagen negotiations. The American authorities have already offered to cut emissions by 17% by 2020, relative to 2005 figures, which equates to a cut of only 5% on the 1990 levels.

Some 80% of energy consumed in the United States arises from fossil fuels, which makes the American contribution very important. We are all conscious of the radical change that has occurred since the Bush era when it was thought unnecessary to take any action on climate change. The current US position does represent progress and it is to be hoped there will be further progress from the Americans at the Copenhagen conference.

China has the world's second largest emissions of greenhouse gases after the United States. In that context, it is important that China should follow suit in tackling climate change. A comprehensive package, including loans and direct aid, is needed to support China's efforts in this regard. The American negotiators have indicated that they will take that route and the EU is also open to such a proposition. We must hope that China can be urged along in that direction. While Ireland's moral leadership role is crucial, the big two are the US and China. We need to bring them to the level of commitment that is apparent within the EU through an agreement at Copenhagen.

Ireland must play a pivotal role in Copenhagen and, to be fair, there is no indication that the Government will do otherwise. I urge the Minister of State to tell her colleagues that Ireland should not be a supporting actor at Copenhagen and neither should we be daunted by our size. Ireland has the moral authority and capacity to make a strong contribution to the climate change conference rather than being a fringe player there. While we support all the EU commitments and will work within those Ireland should, independently, make its own stance. Our Dáil spokesman, Deputy Simon Coveney, has made reference in the other House to the fact that Ireland could show leadership in pushing for greater financial commitment for the developing countries because of our record on overseas development aid and in so many ways on the international stage. We have bona fides and good credentials with developing countries and as such could give proper moral leadership in that regard.

We should also be pushing the idea of wind as an important alternative form of energy. Ireland should major on that in the Copenhagen context and in the domestic context. I certainly believe we have a pivotal role to play. I am privileged to be a member of the Council of Europe for my party as well as a member of a sub-committee of its Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs, the chairman of which is an Englishman, Mr. Alan Meale MP, who will be representing the committee at Copenhagen. I contributed at a recent meeting where many issues arose. That committee will be making a submission on behalf of the Council of Europe and lobbying at Copenhagen.

I welcome the fact a climate change Bill is pending, something Fine Gael has been urging for some time. The response has been somewhat tardy, but the fact it is coming is good news. Before I deal with the specifics of the Irish situation, it is worthy of repetition that Fine Gael's bona fides as regards climate change are extraordinarily strong. In the NewERA document dealing with the economic recovery agency and job creation which we published recently, there is a particular focus on jobs relating to green energy and posts arising from alternative energy. Our entire job creation policy platform is focused in this area, and we are proud of this. It is part, thankfully, of a developing consensus on this issue and we need to promote that to encourage it to continue.

We must regret the fact that we have not met our Kyoto targets and our ambition for the future must be to improve in that regard. There is a commitment in the programme for Government for the planting of 10,000 hectares per annum, but with the reduced forestry premiums the industry believes it will not be possible to achieve that target. I ask the Minister of State to address that question and to re-examine the premium and incentive situation in that regard. It would be a pity if it was not achievable, given that we have a considerable amount of land suitable for afforestation. In any event, we should deal with this. It is not enough to have a platitudinous commitment in the programme for Government, if this cannot happen. The information we are getting from the industry is to the effect that it cannot.

Teagasc says there are 100,000 hectares suitable for the growing of bio-fuel crops. This is important in the context of the 4% target of bio-fuels within diesel etc. as regards transport and heating fuels. It is important that we are not just importing bio-fuels since that would create a carbon footprint in itself. As the Minister of State indicated in her opening statement, bio-fuels cannot be developed nationally or internationally at the expense of natural habitat such as would happen with the cutting down of rain forests or the removal of land for food. We cannot contribute to food shortages or indirectly increase carbon problems by developing bio-fuel. Bio-fuel can only be developed in a controlled fashion, at home and abroad. It cannot infringe on primary food production and that has to be an article of faith. Given that Ireland is an agricultural country the Government should enjoy good bona fides in this regard and we should be willing to say, in effect, that we cannot displace people or cause starvation under any policy that might emerge as regards greenhouse emissions or arising from Copenhagen.

We have had difficulties in the past with the waste issue and the proliferation of nuclear plants on the west coast of England, the nuclear coast, on the Irish Sea. New technology is emerging, I understand, in the nuclear area and over a number of years there may be safe nuclear power. In the event, it will have to be looked at again.

There should be a special focus in Ireland on wind energy production. There should be micro-generators on all houses, where possible, and businesses, so we may produce enough energy for ourselves and sell surplus to the grid. Hydro power should be harnessed, which has been addressed often in the Seanad. Senator Martin Brady and I have raised this on a number of occasions regarding the potential in County Cavan for hydro energy powered by rivers and streams to create energy locally. Wave energy is important, but we must keep the emphasis on domestic effort to give Ireland the international credentials it needs on this issue at Copenhagen because it is the right thing to do.

I firmly believe that not only can we meet our targets in terms of climate change and as regards the prevention of meteorological disasters, but we can create jobs in Ireland by focusing on green energy. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his indulgence.