Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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813. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to achieve carbon emissions targets for 2020 and 2030 following the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report; his preferred level of carbon tax over the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44713/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Addressing climate change, whether through decarbonisation of our economy, or preparing to adapt to the impacts of climate change, is one of the most significant challenges facing this country. The publication on 8 October of the Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the impacts of global warming of 1.5⁰C confirms the absolute urgency of achieving deep cuts in our greenhouse gas emissions over the coming decades. The Government has responded to this challenge by putting in place a strong policy framework underpinned by significant investment plans in climate action. Ireland's own long-term vision of a low-carbon and climate resilient economy, set out in the 2014 National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development, commits to:

- an aggregate reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of at least 80% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2050 across the electricity generation, built environment and transport sectors, and

- in parallel, an approach to carbon neutrality in the agriculture and land-use sector, including forestry, which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production.

The National Policy Position will be further elaborated in a new long-term low emissions strategy which must be prepared by the start of 2020, addressing long-term greenhouse gas emissions reductions to 2050. I intend that this long-term strategy will further elaborate sectoral pathways for Ireland to meet its long-term decarbonisation objectives to 2050, as set out in the National Policy Position. In light of the IPCC's conclusions, our current 2050 decarbonisation objectives must now be seen as the absolute minimum necessary for Ireland to contribute effectively to the Paris Agreement objectives.

Ireland's National Mitigation Plan (NMP), published in 2017, sets out the sectoral policy measures required in order to manage Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions at a level appropriate for making progress towards our long-term national transition objective, as well as taking into account our EU and international obligations. Although this first Plan does not provide a complete roadmap to achieve our national transition objective to 2050, it begins the process of development of medium- to long-term options to ensure that we are well positioned to take the necessary actions in the next and future decades.

Building on the National Mitigation Plan, the publication in February 2018 of the National Development Plan 2018 - 2027 (NDP), will lead to a significant step change in funding available for climate action over the next decade. Almost €22 billion will be directed, between Exchequer and non-Exchequer resources, to addressing the transition to a low-carbon and climate resilient society. In addition, the NDP allocated a further €8.6 billion for investments in sustainable mobility. This means that well over €1 in €5 spent under the National Development Plan (NDP) will be on climate action and this capital investment will enable us to deliver a significant reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions over the period to 2030.

My Department is also working closely with other relevant Departments and Agencies on the preparation of a National Energy and Climate Plan.

Finally, I welcome the commitment shown by my colleague the Minister for Finance in his Budget statement that he intends to put in place a long-term trajectory for Carbon Tax increases out to 2030 in line with the recommendations of both the Climate Change Advisory Council and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action.