Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To clarify, I am representing Senator Dooley, who is the Fianna Fáil spokesperson and a member of the committee. Unfortunately, he had other urgent business to attend to, so I am here on his behalf and that of the party. I thank all those involved on the committee for the tremendous work they did. I echo the support expressed for the committee Chairman, who did an excellent job of steering the committee. I am sure it was not always easy.

As all present are aware, the science is indisputable. The effects of climate change are already clear. We know we have to act. By acting now, we can build a cleaner and greener economy and society that create opportunities for all. The Climate Action Plan 2021 provides a detailed plan for taking decisive action to achieve a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. That is important. It is why Fianna Fáil is very supportive of the motion before the House. Following discussion with my colleague, Senator Dooley, I acknowledge that while there were some differences in opinion among the stakeholder submissions to the committee and, no doubt, among the membership as well regarding the proposed carbon budgets and whether they should be more ambitious, it was certainly made abundantly clear that the committee should approve the budgets without delay in order to move the implementation of policy forward.It is notable that the committee agreed, in spite of some differing opinions, that stakeholders share the one main climate ambition, that is, recognising the need for immediate and significant change to make the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. I think we all will acknowledge, as the report does, that the task ahead will be extremely challenging and that very difficult decisions will have to be made in the Dáil and in this House. Given the time lag between policy implementation and emissions reductions, substantial interventions are most definitely needed immediately in all sectors of the economy, with several stakeholders cautioning that 2022 is the second year of the first carbon budget.

I wish to comment briefly on the need for the Government to prepare measures immediately, which I know that the Minister has been working on, to ensure a just transition in all sectors of society, ensuring that those who have benefited most from and are most responsible for emissions bear the greatest burden. I speak as somebody from County Kildare, where, particularly in north-west Kildare, many communities have been very dependent on Bord na Móna, not just for employment; where they can, people still go out and cut turf for their own homes. They are greatly impacted by the transition. The communities in the smaller villages of Coill Dubh, Allenwood, Carbury, Derrinturn and Rathangan and of Kilberry and Athy developed from the employment provided by Bord na Móna. It is good to see just transition funding going to the Allenwood Community Development Association, ACDAL, in the Michael Fitzpatrick Centre. It has received sizeable funding to provide a hub for alternative employment. We are now looking at the Bord na Móna headquarters in Newbridge. Circumstances are changing for Bord na Móna as it diversifies. It has a sizeable site in the centre of Newbridge. Councillor Noel Heavey and myself are working on a proposal to try to ensure we have some kind of further education institution there that could do work similar to what An Foras Talúntais did in Lullymore on experimentation and a hub for employment measures, whereby people could start a small enterprise related to agriculture or climate change and could be given opportunities there. There is no doubt that we have to consider very positive measures like that. Of course, there will be a lot of emerging technologies and changing scientific consensus all the time. Because of that, the climate action plan needs to be updated annually. While we must have the roadmap of actions put in place, they will change as we go forward, learn more and see more developments in technology and research.

I wish to take this opportunity to endorse the report and to commend all the committee members and the Chairman of the committee on his leadership in bringing forward all these recommendations.