Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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228. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the degree to which a simple means can be found to explain the benefits of climate change protection measures available to the community at large; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46438/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Addressing climate change will require a significant step change in Government action across all sectors. It also has implications for how individuals, households, communities, businesses, and schools live, work and learn.   As a means of promoting wider societal action on climate, the Government established a National Dialogue on Climate Action in 2017. The primary purpose of the Dialogue is 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.

A range of initiatives are already taking place under the National Dialogue on Climate Action, including a series of regional gatherings to consider the issues facing Ireland in addressing climate change and identify the different actions that individuals, local communities and the public sector can take. The next regional gathering will take place in Tralee, Co. Kerry on 10 November.

As part of planned National Dialogue initiatives for 2019, I am also proposing to launch a new awareness campaign on actions that individuals and households can take to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

My Department already supports a range of awareness-raising initiatives through its agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).  These initiatives include:

- the provision by the EPA of a range of online environmental resources for primary and secondary schools, and the SEAI schools programme, which helps to inform attitudes on energy conservation and climate action though a range of curriculum-based teaching resources and workshops;

- the EPA BeGreen online portal, which promotes waste prevention and resource efficiency activities in homes, businesses and other sectors;

- the EPA ’s online climate resources, which includes information on Irish climate research projects, carbon calculator tools for personal and business use, and answers to frequently asked questions about climate change;

- funding by the Department for the environmental television series, Eco Eye, which has aired over 100 episodes on RTE;

- SEAI consumer awareness resources, including online and print resources providing advice on how individuals can reduce their own energy use throughout their daily lives, comprising a mix of no- and low-cost actions as well as more significant retrofit interventions that can be made, with grant funding provided by the Government;

- provision by SEAI of information on energy performance of consumer products in line with EU labelling and ecodesign regulations, which promotes purchasing decisions in favour of more energy efficient options; and

- the Sustainable Energy Communities network, supported by SEAI, comprising over 200 communities around Ireland who are interested in the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy. The network facilitates members to work with communities with common interests, learn from others who have conducted local energy projects, learn about energy technologies and solutions available. The network also has access to energy experts and mentors as well as a range of financial supports from SEAI.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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229. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the degree to which a 25% reduction in the use of fossil fuels can address the growing burden of carbon and relevant fines arising from failure to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46440/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions arise from a number of different sources, including use of fossil fuels. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) produces national greenhouse gas emission projections on an annual basis.  According to the latest inventory figures from the EPA, total GHG emissions in Ireland in 2016 amounted to 61.55 Mt CO2eq. The breakdown of emissions by sector is as follows:

According to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland report, Energy in Ireland 1990 - 2016 , energy-related greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use accounted for 37.2 Mt CO2eq in 2016, approximately 60% of total emissions in that year. On the basis of this data, a 25% reduction in fossil fuel use could theoretically result in a reduction in emissions of 9.3 Mt CO2eq.

The 2009 Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) 406/2009/EC established binding annual greenhouse gas emissions targets for EU Member States for the period 2013 to 2020. These targets concern emissions from most sectors not included in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), such as transport, buildings, agriculture and waste. For the year 2020 itself, the target set for Ireland is that emissions should be 20% below their value in 2005. In the period 2021 to 2030, Ireland must reduce its non-ETS emissions by 30% relative to 2005 levels of emissions by 2030. This is where we must now focus our efforts to ensure that, at the absolute very least, we meet our 2030 target.

Ireland's National Mitigation Plan (NMP), published in 2017, sets out the sectorial 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 of the National Development Plan reaffirms the Government’s commitment to transitioning Ireland to a low carbon, climate resilient economy and society. Reflecting the strong commitment of Government on this issue, almost €22 billion will be directed, between Exchequer and non-Exchequer resources, to addressing the transition to a low-carbon and climate resilient society. 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.

Further building on these Government initiatives to date, l will shortly seek Government approval to prepare an all of government plan which will set out the actions which must be taken in every government department and body. The central ambition of this plan will be to make Ireland a leader in responding to climate change.I will work with colleagues across Government to develop new initiatives across electricity, transport, heat, as well as a range of other sectors. The new plan will have a strong focus on implementation, including actions with clear timelines and steps to needed to achieve each action, assigning clear lines of responsibility for delivery. The new plan will also be informed by successful approaches in other countries, where such approaches could be adapted for implementation in Ireland.