Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I also thank the various Ministers and Ministers of State for coming to the House and making statements, although I am somewhat disappointed that they are not here now to listen to what Senators have to say on the matter. That is not too much to ask of them. Some might think it was a sign of Seanad reform that seven Ministers or Ministers of State have been in the House for the debate. However, while they came in relatively slowly, they got out quickly and did not stay to listen to Members. That is disappointing and it says something about the importance of this issue to them.

We are here because in accordance with the framework provided by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, the Government must prepare and submit to the Oireachtas an annual transition statement. In support of this written statement, relevant Ministers must provide oral reports to each House of the Oireachtas. The aim of this process is to ensure that the responsible Ministers are directly accountable to the Oireachtas and to assess their progress in reducing emissions in their respective ministries. Will the Minister confirm that this is the context for the appearance of various Ministers and Ministers of State in the House today?

The former President, Mrs. Mary Robinson, spoke on radio this morning about the importance of this matter. I liked her tone on "Morning Ireland" when she talked about a just transition, to which the Minister also referred. What is meant by a just transition? It is a principle, a process and a practice to build economic and political power to progress sustainable development. A just transition is a vision-led, unifying set of principles, processes and practices, which mean approaching the production and consumption cycle in an holistic and waste-free way and in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. We want to gradually decarbonise society but the transition must be just and equitable. It must redress past harms and create new relationships to allow for sustainable development. If the process of transition is not just, then neither will the outcome be just.

I wish to focus on a number of areas, including Irish peat in the midlands and the workers there and carbon taxes in the context of what happened in Paris last weekend. Parts of that city were nearly burned down because of objections to taxes on diesel. That is the reality of it. We have to move and while I do not want to slow this process down, we must be pragmatic and realistic. We must recognise that we live in an economy as well as a society and we must be particularly mindful of jobs. This is a sensitive area and the transition must be managed carefully to ensure it is both fair and equitable. We must focus on agriculture and I am glad that talks on a reformed CAP refer to ambitious targets to reduce emissions from agriculture. We also need to focus more on sustainable forestry and other issues.

In an effort to be as effective as possible in the short time allowed to me, I wish to read something into the record of this House. On Saturday 1 December 2018, The Irish Times published the following:

An Oireachtas committee's efforts to tackle rising carbon emissions will amount to "a flash in the pan" if it is dissolved in January, according to an environmental policy expert. A strong, resourced climate action committee in parliament was critical and one of the key of ensuring stronger governance in responding to climate change , Dr. Diarmuid Torney of Dublin City University told a conference in Dublin on Thursday.

The Oireachtas committee on Climate Action which was established in July is due to be disbanded in January after considering how to implement radical recommendations of the Citizen’s Assembly and reporting on what should be in the National Energy and Climate Plan.

I call on the Minister to use his good offices to ensure that the aforementioned committee is not disbanded in January but is given a new and renewed focus to address these key issues. I would appreciate a response to that call when he replies.