Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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64. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the expected matters that the national dialogue on climate change will include. [41896/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I understand that the Citizens’ Assembly met on 30 September and 1 October and will meet again in November to consider the topic of how the State can make Ireland a leader in tackling climate change and that these sessions will be informed by a public consultation which took place in August. As part of this work, I understand that the Assembly has been asked to consider how the National Dialogue on Climate Action should engage with the wider public to create awareness, engagement and motivation to act in relation to the challenges of climate change.

The primary objective of the National Dialogue will be to ensure an inclusive process of engagement and consensus building across society towards enabling the transformation to a low carbon and climate-resilient future. To do this, the Dialogue will seek to create awareness, engagement and motivation to act (locally, regionally and nationally) in relation to the challenges presented by climate change and to establish, on a long term basis, appropriate networks for people to meet periodically to consider evidence-based inputs on the economic, social, behavioural, environmental and public aspects of climate and energy policy.

I expect that the work of the Citizens' Assembly will provide a valuable base of evidence and ideas from which to draw on in the preparation of further activities under the National Dialogue in the coming months, including proposals for regional gatherings and local community conversations incorporating innovative consultation mechanisms.

National Dialogue initiatives already announced for 2017 include the Green Schools National Climate Change Action and Awareness Programme, incorporating Climate Action Week between 16 and 20 October and the Green Schools Climate Expo on 22 February 2018; and the Climate Ambassador Programme which was formally launched on the 18 September 2017.