Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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1100. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the status in respect of achieving targets set at EU level for climate change management, in particular under the EU Climate and Energy Framework 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31689/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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For each year between 2013 and 2020, Ireland has a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target under the 2009 Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) No. 406/2009/EC. Under the ESD, EU-wide emissions in the year 2013 should be no more than the average of those same emissions in the years 2008 to 2010. Emissions in those three years were on average 4.5% below emissions in 2005. In the year 2020, the target set for Ireland is that emissions should be 20 per cent below their value in 2005. This is jointly the most demanding 2020 reduction target allocated under the ESD and one shared only by Denmark and Luxembourg. The target for each of the years 2014 through 2019 is on a straight-line trajectory between the targets for 2013 and 2020. Taking account of methodological changes underpinning the GHG emissions inventories and projections (in line with evolutions in the accounting rules under the Kyoto Protocol second commitment period), the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) published in May 2015 new annual emission limits and projected emissions for 2020 compared to our target. These calculations and projections indicate that Ireland’s emissions in 2020 could be in the range of 9-14% below 2005 levels by 2020. However, even in the worst case scenario (i.e., a 9% reduction), Ireland could be very close to meeting its cumulative compliance obligations for the period 2013-2020 (ESD 2009), which on average required a 12% reduction relative to 2005, given over-compliance in the early years of the 8-year period.

Furthermore, in October 2014, the European Council agreed on the 2030 climate and energy policy framework for the European Union. The European Council endorsed a binding EU target of an at least 40% domestic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990. The target will be delivered collectively by the EU in the most cost-effective manner possible, with the reductions in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and non-ETS sectorsamounting to 43% and 30% , respectively , by 2030 compared to 2005.

All Member States within the Union will participate in this effort, balancing considerations of fairness and solidarity. While Member State targets for 2030 are yet to be agreed, it is known that targets will be in the range of a 0% to 40% reduction relative to 2005, and that targets for Member States whose GDP per capita is above average should be adjusted to reflect cost effectiveness in a fair and balanced manner. A Commission proposal on this matter is expected towards the end of the second quarter of 2016.

The extent of the challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in line with our EU commitments, is well understood by Government, as reflected in the National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development, published in April 2014, and in the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development Bill 2015, recently passed by the Dáil and currently at Committee Stage in the Seanad. The National Policy Position provides a high-level policy direction for the adoption and implementation by Government of plans to enable the State to move to a low-carbon economy by 2050. Proposed statutory authority for the plans is set out in the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development Bill 2015.

In anticipation of enactment of the planned legislation, work is already underway on developing a low carbon plan, the National Mitigation Plan, the primary objective of which will be to track implementation of measures already underway and identify additional measures in the longer term to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and progress the overall national low carbon transition agenda to 2050.The first iteration of the National Mitigation Plan will place particular focus on putting the necessary measures in place to address the challenge to 2020 but also in terms of planning ahead to ensure that appropriate policies and measures will be in place beyond that. In this context, key sectors in the low carbon transition process (electricity, transport, built environment and agriculture) are currently developing sectoral mitigation measures in tandem with Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA) processes during which measures will be further developed and prioritised.

To ensure a continued transparent and inclusive process, the Strategic EnvironmentalAssessment Scoping Report on the National Mitigation Planis currently out for consultation to both the general public and statutory consultees and the input received from these consultations will further inform the SEA process.