Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and, in particular, I welcome today's debate on one of the most important pieces of legislation that we as a country will bring forward. It is important not alone for us here on the planet but also for our children who have not been born yet. Therefore, I welcome the legislation.

It was mentioned in the House that eight years have elapsed since a Bill in this area was debated in the Seanad. We have had a change of Government since but nothing has been done about climate change. In 2007, the Friends of the Earth organisation put forward that something should be done about the matter. Therefore, I welcome this legislation.

Since the 1950s the scientific community has become increasingly aware of global climate change and increasingly united in stating that these changes are in large part caused by human activities. The reality of climate change affects everyone on this planet and, indeed, those not yet born. Current rates of change would mean a very clear and forced shift in the lifestyles of those who live in developed countries like ours. There is massive risk to human life and to the progress of our nations in the near future. It is urgent that we do something now and I welcome the steps being taken today.

In the more immediate present, climate change affects the lives of millions of the world's most vulnerable people in the developing world. Many of our countries have too easily sidelined climate change as something academic and of no relevance to the lives of ordinary people today which is not the case.

I welcome the addition of climate justice as a factor for consideration when the plans and framework are developed. Senator White claimed that climate justice was not mentioned in the legislation.It is in the Bill now as an amendment and I welcome this. It was included on the recommendation of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht. This addition recognises the catastrophic effects of climate change on the planet's most vulnerable people and our responsibility as a developed nation to support them in protecting themselves against the adverse effects of climate change. Ireland participates in the green climate fund for this purpose, but new approaches such as the use of funds from emissions trading could be explored to support those in the developing world more. Legislation on climate change is the basis on which we will be judged by future generations. Our job in this House and the other House is to take care of the future.

With all of this as background, it is great progress that we are debating this Bill, the purpose of which is to establish a framework of structures to lower our public and private carbon emissions and to monitor its transition. Monitoring is very important and an eye will have to be kept on that. That is what the advisory council will be doing. It also aims to facilitate the development of a more environmentally sustainable economy. This is to ensure our responsibility to engage with environmental realities does not harm our economic and social progress. We have to keep an eye on that as well. We can have high aims and objectives but we also have to live in the real world.

Since ratifying the Kyoto Protocol in 2002, our approach to climate change has been firmly in the context of best international science and a collective global response to what is a global concern. As a European nation, we have recognised that our role in climate action is best served as part of the greater European action. As part of the European Union, we have committed to reducing emissions by 20% by 2020 in line with EU targets, as the Minister of State has said. The Bill recognises these and other international environmental commitments in the development of a national mitigation plan. It would be great to go much further but we have to take into consideration where we are today and have the targets defined. The Minister of State has outlined the problems and possibilities that hinder us in doing that.

I have mentioned Friends of the Earth and their campaign of seven years ago. I kindly acknowledge my own contribution at the Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht and I acknowledge the work of Oisín Coghlan there as well. The Government has included the definition of low carbon in national policy. The duty of Government is to follow national policy but it would be nice to see the definition of that policy included in the Bill if it were at all possible. That it is national policy and the Government has to follow national policy is at least an advance on that.

The national mitigation plan and the national climate change adaptation framework will be established by the Minister. Its purpose is to achieve the transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by the end of 2050. The Bill also establishes a national expert advisory council on climate change. The Bill and the structures it establishes are very welcome and I want to make clear my total support for the Bill. We would like to go much further but we have to walk before we run.

The timeframe in the Bill has been reduced from 24 months to 18 months but I would like it to go down to 12 months because we have a very short timeframe. In the first draft of the Bill it was six months and I do not know how it went up to two years. I would like to see it brought down to 12 months. It was changed in the Dáil but we should bring it down and try to have a national plan in place before the end of 2016. It is a priority and we have a whole year to do it. If everyone put their wheels in motion, as it were, it would be possible to do it within a year and I would like to see that if at all possible.

Section 7(2)(a) reads, "For the purposes of performing their functions under sections 5and 6, the Government may consult with the Expert Advisory Council." Then section 7(2)(b) reads they "shall consult" with the advisory council. I was a bit confused looking at that. I suggest that in both instances it should be "shall consult".

Section 9 stipulates the make-up of the advisory council and there is no mention of gender balance there. It should be included because quotas have been introduced for politics and I think they should be introduced for all councils and advisory bodies. It is not the most important part of the Bill but it is important. Different minds think in different ways - right and left brains and all that.

Section 9(11) reads that if elected to State representative bodies or as a public representative, one would resign from the advisory council. That is only right if one is elected to the Dáil or Seanad, because one is in a decision-making capacity there. I do not think it is wise to exclude local councillors because they do not make policy decisions. They would be very influential in bringing it from the top down to the local community through local leadership and by instigating at local level the sort of change necessary for significant action on climate change. We will depend on local authorities to implement much of this at local level. Deputies, Senators and elected representatives should be excluded but for local leadership, instigation and action, perhaps the Minister of State would look at some role for or link to local authorities because we will depend on councillors to do that at local level.

Section 12(1) details the annual review and report by the advisory council and that is very welcome. There should be a scientific methodology for doing that and we have the computers to do it now so we will be able to go back and compare one year's analysis with another and see how it is scientifically measured.

Section 15(1) reads that a relevant body shall "have regard to" the plans. Section 15(4) reads that it should "comply with" the relevant plans. I would use the words "comply with" because I know from the days I spent on the council that we had to have regard to the regional authority plans and some people just read them and said that they had regard to them and threw them out the window, as it were. If it has to be complied with, it is a different ball game altogether.

I acknowledge again Friends of the Earth, because it has had such input into this, particularly at the Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, and it is good when somebody else-----