Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1701. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the estimated annual costs to the Exchequer to implement the changes needed across all Departments to ensure that Ireland hits its carbon emissions targets up to 2021; the moneys being allocated to this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26110/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

For each year between 2013 and 2020, Ireland has a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target under the 2009 Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) No. 406/2009/EC. For the year 2020 itself, 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 2013 target is based on the average of emissions for the years 2008-2010. The target for each of the years 2014 through 2019 is on a straight-line trajectory between the targets for 2013 and 2020, and surpluses in one year can be used to cover deficits in any subsequent year.

The extent of the challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in line with our EU and international commitments, is well understood by the Government, as reflected in the National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development, published in April 2014, and now underpinned by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015which was enacted in December 2015.  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.  Statutory authority for the plans is set out in the Act.

Cognisant of the need to safeguard our economic recovery, there will, and must be, a strong economic dimension to the work that Ireland is carrying out to transition to a low carbon, environmentally sustainable economy, as Ireland’s finances continue to stabilise and recover. The National Policy Position clearly identifies competitiveness as a pillar of the fundamental national objective on transition to a low-carbon economy by 2050 and, within this context, sets out a number of key issues for consideration in the on-going evolution of national climate policy, including cost-effectivenessand the need to take advantage of environmentally sustainable economic opportunities both within and outside the State.

The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act statutorily underpins these and other key economic considerations, to be taken into account in the development of the mitigation and adaptation plans to be adopted by the Government for the purpose of progressing the national transition agenda. We must, therefore, look for economic opportunities in the low carbon transition process with policies to be adopted ideally being a spur to sustainable economic growth.

In accordance with Section 4 of the Act, and in line with responsibilities delegated to me as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, I intend to submit a draft National Mitigation Plan for public consultation by the end of this year, followed by a final plan to be submitted to Government for approval by June 2017. Work is well underway on the development of 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.

A key element of the development process of the National Mitigation Plan is the identification of the most cost-effective measures with the optimal mitigation potential, which safeguard Ireland’s competitiveness and ideally support sustainable economic growth. Work is currently on-going on this complex task by all relevant Departments and will culminate in a master list of potential measures being produced from which the most appropriate measures will be selected for inclusion in the National Mitigation Plan; as the process is yet to be finalised, detailed costings are currently unavailable for the period concerned.

The ultimate objective of successive National Mitigation Plans is to incrementally achieve this low carbon transition vision by 2050. In that context, the National Mitigation Plan will have regard to Ireland’s obligations under the current 2009 Effort Sharing Decision and any likely future EU and international obligations that may arise, including new targets to be agreed under the 2030 climate and energy package.