Michael Finneran (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to be here. I have been impressed with the level of engagement of Senators on this issue, which is being debated at international level. The Seanad has given great thought and expression to the whole issue of climate change. Before I respond to the comments of various Senators, I would like to compliment the newest Member of the House, Senator Carroll, on his maiden speech. Anyone who listened to him will agree he will have a long life in politics. I hope he will move up through the ranks until his grandchildren are on his knee in 41 years time. I wish him well. We are lucky he is a member of our party, as he will be a great asset to the political machine.

As we speak, the world is watching the events that are unfolding at the Copenhagen conference, which has generated unprecedented media attention. The serious threat posed by climate change respects no borders and is felt across the globe. It is clear that an effective global response to climate change needs to be reached as a matter of urgency. Over 100 world leaders, including the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, will gather in Copenhagen next week for the final days of the conference. It is a demonstration of the world's determination to reach an ambitious agreement to halt global warming. At the opening of the conference last Monday, the Danish Prime Minister said that such an agreement should be acceptable to all parties and be strong, ambitious, just, equitable, effective and operational. It cannot be denied that this is a mammoth task.

Some attempts have been made to undermine the position of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. I suggest we should ignore the evidence of the robust science being used by the panel at our peril. It would be wise to listen to and read the words of the committed people from all over the world who are represented on the panel. Their views should be taken on board in every step we take. The Minister, Deputy Gormley, will be well armed when he travels to Denmark at the weekend. He can refer to the carbon tax, as introduced in yesterday's budget, and to the carbon budget. He will be able to speak with authority about the attention the Government and the country as a whole are giving to the issue of climate change.

The European Union has played and continues to play a leading role in an international climate change process under the United Nations convention. Ireland has consistently and fully supported the European Union's proactivity and leadership in this regard. This position stands and we will play our part in seeking to influence a positive and effective outcome at Copenhagen. As Members are aware, a fully-fledged and legally binding agreement may not be possible. While it may take a little longer to reach such an agreement, the parties must make significant progress to enable this to happen at the earliest possible stage.

Senator de Búrca mentioned the carbon budget and other matters and was absolutely correct in her summing up of the manner in which people are engaged on the matter of climate change. One of the most frightening things I heard recently was that the area of the northern ice cap may have reduced by 50% within ten years. Were such an extraordinary forecast to be true, it would change the world. If such scientific evidence exists, we must heed it and must act quickly on climate change.

In his contribution, Senator Brady mentioned the phrase "ordinary people" and queried who they were. I believe a former distinguished Member of this House once defined ordinary people as those who ate their dinner in the middle of the day. However, I find that so-called ordinary people, who in the past may not have discussed matters such as climate change, are discussing issues such as fish in rivers, the disappearance of certain species of animals, plants and so on. People are engaged in this regard. Moreover, Senator Carroll noted that young people are highly attuned to the issue of climate change.

Senator Coffey mentioned the issue of housing and retrofitting. Members are aware that in 2009 the Minister, Deputy Gormley, and I moved for the first time with regard to retrofitting. A scheme emerged from our Department, through SEI, which eventually was operated through the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. Moreover an additional allocation of €20 million was made to the local authorities to restore vacant or unused local authority houses. Out of the budget of €1.61 billion available to me in 2010 for social housing and housing supports, I have allocated €45 million towards the retrofitting of social housing. Moreover, when both the public and private sectors are taken into account, a total of €130 million has been committed by the Government to retrofitting. The Government is committed to retrofitting and rightly so.

It has been interesting to hear today's debate. As I stated, the outcome of the Copenhagen conference will influence and affect what will be done at a national level regarding climate change. This hugely complex, challenging and global problem requires a comprehensive solution at global level, underpinned by commitments and effective action at a national level. A global deal on climate change is of huge importance to Ireland. As I noted, the effects of climate change transcends borders and boundaries. I believe Senator O'Reilly mentioned flooding and its effects have been evident in Ireland in recent weeks in areas including the west, the south, counties Kildare, Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath and Leitrim, as well as the Shannon and Suck basins. Older people in the community inform me, on foot of information garnered from their parents, that such floods have not been witnessed in the last 100 years. Evidence exists from the areas south of Athlone of the major flood that took place in 1954 and it is known for certain that the water levels there were one and one half feet higher this time than was the case in 1954. This is a frightening situation and while no one can definitively state this was caused by climate change, it can be stated for sure that climate change is contributing to such events. I believe climate change to be a major contributory factor. People in those areas fear for the future. It was necessary in the aforementioned counties to evacuate more than 100 people from their homes, many of whom will not return before Christmas and some of whom may never return. This is a new phenomenon of which we must take cognisance.

In virtually all the areas that were badly affected, the level of rainfall was considerably higher than previous levels experienced in those areas. In some instances, the rainfall level was dramatically higher, and not always over a wider area. I already have alluded to the available evidence and note that all kinds of challenges arise in this regard. There is almost universal agreement that extraordinarily high levels of rainfall pertain to climate change and I noted it is a contributing factor. This occurred much sooner than might have been anticipated and undoubtedly was much more dramatic than we were prepared for. However, it is important to acknowledge that the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has been active in considering the threat posed by climate change and the ways of dealing with such challenges. The strategy put forward by the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, seven or eight years ago still is relevant in respect of what should be done today. The impact of climate change is not simply a matter for the coastal areas, on which there was a previous focus because of the likelihood of rising sea levels as a result of melting ice caps, but also for inland areas, river basins and areas that were not previously prone to flooding. Meeting the challenges posed by climate change is not a matter for central Government alone. It is a challenge for all sectors of Government and society. The National Climate Change Strategy 2007-2012 sets out a range of measures to enable Ireland to meet its Kyoto commitments and to position it for the post-2012 period. Key policy issues in our response to climate change include areas of energy efficiency, sustainable travel and transport, as well as the carbon levy announced yesterday.

Senators Quinn and O'Sullivan raised the subject of renewable energy and more use must be made of renewable energy sources such as wind, wave, hydroelectric, geothermal and bio-fuels, which can supply some of our needs. We also must conserve energy more efficiently by using low-energy products both at home and at work. Our aim is to source 15% and 40% of electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and 2020, respectively. Emissions from the transport sector continue to grow and Ireland's travel and transport patterns are not sustainable. On foot of cross-departmental co-operation and working together with the Minister for Transport-----