Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. His brief strongly combines both urgency and a long-term perspective, even beyond that of other Ministries. That urgency and long-term perspective was addressed to the area of broadband. Obviously, urgent action is needed and I commend that. However, I join others in expressing concern in terms of the long-term implications in regard to the issue of privatisation. As someone who comes from the west, I want to know that future generations will also be able to live there and not be hostage to potential private service providers which may find smaller communities do not suit their interests at that time.

The issue I want to address is the very urgent and long-term one relating to climate change. It is urgent for the 19.8 million people in eastern Africa, from Somaliland to Ethiopia, who are facing the dangers of hunger and poverty, exacerbated by El Niño and climate change, and for the many climate refugees who we see joining the stream of other refugees currently moving across the world at a time when more people have been displaced than ever before.

Having represented Trócaire in Poznan and Copenhagen at the climate change talks, I was very relieved and gratified to see Ireland among the 196 countries that signed the Paris agreement. We need to step up the pace of response if we are to meet those targets. It is unfortunate, for example, that the EPA has estimated we may overshoot our 2020 limits in just 18 months. Again, I urge the Minister to play a very active role in engaging across all Departments to ensure we revise our policies in areas such as agriculture and food production in a way that is sustainable and which keeps us within our targets, not simply because of the fines we may face but also because Ireland cannot afford to be behind the curve in moving to a sustainable economy. In that regard, the role of the Climate Change Advisory Council will be crucial, in particularly in the context of its independence. The council will give guidance on the low carbon transition and mitigation plan. In addition to the issues of transition and mitigation, we need to include the issue of adaptation, both here in Ireland in terms of flood defences, and for those countries that have done least to cause this issue but which are now facing devastating consequences. I urge that this be a strong part of the Minister's considerations.

I welcome the comments on the common good and climate justice. Again, climate justice is a key frame in respect of recognising the responsibilities we share on this planet. In the context of the long-term issues, I would like to highlight three areas where the Minister can make a difference. The first is in the area of public procurement and ensuring we have strong environmental criteria and clauses within the process relating to such procurement. Second, I ask that we would approach public-private partnerships with caution to ensure we maintain our regulatory role and that we do not create, as we did with toll roads, a hostage to fortune in terms of our future emissions targets. Third, in terms of the TTIP and CETA negotiations, there is a crucial question to be asked by the Minister's Department of other Departments-----