Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. It is the first time that he has been present since he changed portfolio. Six different line Ministers have given presentations. It has been informative and positive but it also brings into question where we are with this dilemma of a just transition and how to move forward. The just transition is an issue if society and the economy is growing, be that an agricultural economy, in the context of us going from a 1% reduction in our targets today to a 20% reduction and where we need to be by 2050, which will be a challenge with an increasing population.

I refer to agriculture. Food Wise 2025 provides for significant growth in our dairy industry in particular but we must examine how all sectors of the agricultural industry tie in with the carbon issue and how we can deliver. Therein lies the challenge. We have an expanding economy but we need to reduce our carbon footprint. Senator McDowell mentioned issues in this regard and that is the challenge for us as a Government and a society.

The House has put a special committee in place on this issue and I am a member of same along with six other Members, including Senator Grace O'Sullivan. Several Secretaries General have appeared before us over the past two and a half months to give presentations. From our point of view, they lacked that dynamism and vision and the committee will consider that issue going forward because we need to have ambition, drive and a stake in how we can proactively reduce these emissions. It is not about what we did in the past but what we need to do in the future and that will be a change of ethos for the entire Government. That is why the Minister brings something different. This whole-of-government approach is something that we lacked previously and that will be the key if we are to reach those targets and that is what we need to drive forward.

It also has to be community-led. As much as Government will do what Government does around changing policy, the tie in with the community, how communities change what they do and change their approach will be a major issue. We need to start talking about initiatives such as plastic free Kinsale, which is a powerful, community-based initiative that is driving businesses to change how they operate for the sake of the environment. We need to talk about how we can engage those communities, get down to the grassroots itself and change the ethos of how people live their lives. That will be a challenge for us.

In many ways, the younger generation are probably there. The middle to senior generations will take the most convincing that this is how we need to change our approach. Whether it is diesel cars or single-use plastics, there are a multitude of issues involving behavioural changes that will be important for us. That is why this debate is important. It is televised live and it gives an insight into what the Government is doing. It also gives an insight into what we need to do as a community and a society and that will be the core hardline issue.

There was a significant announcement last week on a new fund for climate change and it related to public lighting, for example, but one of the initiatives that I found interesting, which I have been promoting all along, is the increase the number of charging points for electric cars. That is the space we need to start talking about and that is the investment that is required because if we can give the consumer who buys the electric car confidence in the network and the charging points, then there will be change in modes of transport, which is something that needs to happen.

We experienced a major change previously from petrol to diesel, which in hindsight, was a disaster and that has to be acknowledged. Now we need to see that new change and the new ethos of moving towards the electric car. We have seen a positive start in the past week or two but now we need to get the message out that this needs to be the approach going forward. There are a multitude of initiatives out there, be it the €5,000 exemption for the vehicle registration tax, VRT, or taxi drivers getting an extra €7,000 of a grant and they are positive initiatives but we do not talk about them. As far as I can see, there should be no taxis in the cities that are not electric because the advantage of going electric is positive for taxi drivers, for the environment and for society itself.

We have a lot to do to bring the just transition into communities to bring the communities with us. The action plan that the Minister mentioned is positive and that is the roadmap we need as a society. It will bring change but the challenges are great. In an expanding society with an increasing population and increasing economic activity, lowering the carbon base will probably be the greatest challenge we face.

We are unlike other societies such as Germany or France where population is not increasing like it is here. They are fixed on a mode of public transport which can be provided to some degree with our cities but which is a challenge in our rural hinterlands. We have the largest school transport system in Europe by population but we have no rural transport system per se. We need to talk about that and try to tie everything together because if we do, there will be changes in our carbon footprint.

The statement was published this afternoon and six Ministers and Ministers of State came to the House. I have never seen that before so that is a great step and a great sign and we now hope to move forward to get real action on the ground.