Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his presentation today. Like my colleagues, I support the initiative for dialogue on climate change. I know we are here today to hear him report to the Oireachtas on the mitigation policy measures adopted to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases so that we can transition to a low carbon, climate resilient, environmentally sustainable economy as well as compare our progress to our EU and international targets. I have huge respect for the Minister but I am concerned that today's report fails to give us a reliable assessment on how we are doing. It stands over a vague national mitigation plan issued this summer and fails to compare our performance reliably against our own targets and those of other countries. However, we have reliable resources that show just how badly we are doing. The Minister will be aware of the international assessment published earlier this month. Unfortunately, it shows that Ireland has the worst climate performance record in the EU.The climate change performance index, CCPI, ranks Ireland 46th of 57 countries. My colleague, Senator Bacik, mentioned the latest data from the EPA. According to it, our emissions increased by a shocking 3.5% last year, a steep rise that was matched in 2015 and is likely to be matched again in 2017. We are going in the wrong direction. Our agreed effort sharing target for 2020 was to reduce emissions by 20% from 2005 levels. The latest projection has us reducing by only 5%. The current increases suggest that the figure will be even worse.

I am concerned that there is complacency in what the Government is doing. I am also concerned that the Minister might be trying to get as many loopholes into our 2030 targets as possible. Doing so could destroy our international credibility. Instead of taking action to reduce emissions, I am worried that the Government is seeking to take advantage of this by claiming that our failure to meet the 2020 targets is evidence of the targets being too strong.

It is not that the target for our transport sector is too strong, but that we have adopted transport policies that are forcing people to drive. This is the concern. We continue to invest heavily in roads and starve public transport of resources. The Citizens' Assembly called for a 2:1 investment ratio in public transport but all signs show that, while the Government is continuing to encourage public transport, walking and cycling, it is making investments that will make us even more car dependent. As a result, our transport emissions are increasing at the same rate that they were during the bubble.

It is not that the target for our agriculture sector is too strong, but that the Government is implementing a processor-led agriculture policy based on expansion of the most carbon intensive sectors without regard for the environmental impact or economic risks that come with rapid intensification. As a result, our agricultural emissions are increasing again.

We have slowed down the expansion of our renewable energy infrastructural and the retrofitting of our housing stock to make it warmer, healthier and easier to heat. We tax every electricity consumer in order to pay a subsidy so that Bord na Móna and the ESB can continue destroying our bogs, thereby losing biodiversity, worsening flooding, polluting our rivers and increasing our energy sector's emissions further. Worse still, we are rapidly expanding horticultural peat mining, destroying more of our bogs in order to export peat to Britain and other countries, including those where peat mining is not possible because their bogs are protected.

All of this means more greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA reports that our emissions and carbon footprint per capitaare increasing.