Seanad debates

Friday, 25 June 2021

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed)

 

9:30 am

Photo of John CumminsJohn Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I thank the Minister for coming to the House today. I wish to compliment the very significant work that was done by colleagues across both Houses on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, with around 50 hours of discussion at pre-legislative scrutiny stage. I believe 78 recommendations were made, many of which have been incorporated into the Bill. I compliment the Minister for that.

There is no question that many of us have been on a journey in respect of the need to implement radical changes to reduce our carbon emissions. While I believe the majority of people now accept the principal of climate change and are saying that they want to embrace all that is involved in it, I am not at all convinced that the public at large are willing to accept many of the actions which will be required to meet our ambitious climate change targets. I am from an urban area in Waterford. Some people, particularly in urban areas, believe that the burden of responsibility lies with our rural farming communities. That would be a wrong assumption to make. As politicians, we should not be trying to divide society or scapegoat any sector. It is vitally important that we bring everybody along with us.

It will require every citizen, sector, Government Department and company in this State to work together to implement the changes in our daily lives in order to have the impact required. I have no doubt that we will have many difficult debates in the years ahead when the sectoral caps are put on the amount of carbon dioxide that can be emitted through the carbon budgeting process. However, if we do so on the basis of fairness, collaboration and mutual respect of one another, we can make the changes required to safeguard our environment for future generations.

I am someone that has the greatest respect for those in our agrifood sector. The long hours and hard work they put in and dedication that they have to the land that they farm results in Irish society having some of the finest quality food products in the world. From speaking to farming organisations and individual farmers in Waterford, it is safe to say that there is fear among the community of the impact that this climate Bill will have on them, their families and their communities. It is not because they are unwilling to change - they are and they have already done so. It is because they believe that there is a fundamental unfairness in them not receiving credits for carbon sequestration, particularly in respect of hedgerows and trees.

My wife is originally from Slovakia and I consider myself fortunate to have visited many countries across Europe. One thing that sticks in my mind everywhere I travel is that there is not a hedgerow or a tree as far as the eye can see in the countries of central and eastern Europe. That cannot be said for Ireland. We have an abundance of hedgerows and trees which promote biodiversity. I would like to know whether individual farmers or the State will be credited for them, particularly as our ability to measure these things consistently improves.

In that context, I believe that the definition of "carbon budget" in the Bill must take account of removals as well as emissions. It makes no sense to me that the definition of a climate neutral economy on page 6 of the Bill reads: "'climate neutral economy' means a sustainable economy and society where greenhouse gas emissions are balanced or exceeded by the removal of greenhouse gases"; whereas the definition of a carbon budget reads: "'carbon budget' means the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are permitted during the budget period". I ask the Minister to consider the inclusion of an amendment to reflect what I believe is an anomaly.

I am aware that other Members have raised the issue of biogenic methane and its distinct characteristics. It needs to be fully considered by the Climate Advisory Council. I know it is being strengthened. I ask that the agricultural sector is represented appropriately on the council.

Turning to transport, I commend the work being done by the Minister, particularly in respect of public transportation across the country. I ask him to intervene in the metropolitan transport strategy for Waterford, which has taken far too long to be developed, notwithstanding the pressures that have existed with Covid-19. It is vital that we create a sustainable public transport system across Waterford city that serves our emerging residential areas and not just our existing estates. I am thinking, in particular, of the Kilbarry area, which has seen a massive growth in houses but the public transportation system has not developed alongside that. With the development of public transport, we cannot forget the importance of an appropriate road network, particularly between major urban centres. In that context, I mention the N24 which is one of the worst national primary routes in the country. It has a higher than average death and accident rate. The average speed limits are well below what is set out in the national planning framework. Its poor quality is impacting the growth of the mid-west and the south-east regions, particularly given the added importance of Rosslare and Waterford Ports as a result of Brexit. Preliminary studies are being carried out in respect of the two sections from Cahir to Waterford and Cahir to Limerick. I ask the Minister, notwithstanding his preference for short bypass options, to allow those to progress. The long-term solution is for a new N24 route between Limerick and Waterford that will link all our urban centres Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Watford via a new N24 and the M7 between Cork and Dublin.

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