Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This proposed amendment calls for the inclusion of a reference to the management of soil carbon and the protection and re-wetting of wetlands when the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Government perform their functions under section 4. In the first instance, I fully accept that both the management of soil carbon and the protection and re-wetting of wetlands are proven means of maintaining and developing carbon sinks, which are an important option in reducing our overall carbon footprint as a State. As such, these activities fall under the heading of mitigation policy measures. The Bill does not make reference to any particular mitigation policy measure for good reason in that the nature and extent of such measures will change over time and up to the year 2050, as successive mitigation measures take effect. For this reason, I do not consider it appropriate to single out these particular mitigation policy measures for inclusion in this Bill. Rather, they more properly belong to the content of the iterative national mitigation plans where specific soil carbon and wetland management measures can be specified. For this reason, I cannot accept this amendment.