Written answers

Tuesday, 1 June 2021

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Climate Change Policy

Photo of Jennifer WhitmoreJennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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87. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the recent conclusion of the Fiscal Advisory Council that climate action in Ireland will require a fundamental reorientation of the way the economy operates incurring heavy claims on Government resources and requiring careful planning; the costings that have been carried out in relation to the implementation of climate action measures in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29427/21]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Achieving our ambitious climate targets will require careful planning and an all-of-Government approach to ensure their delivery. The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021, when enacted, will introduce a number of new obligations to help ensure good planning in respect of climate action. The Bill introduces a requirement to annually revise the Climate Action Plan and  prepare, at least once every five years, a National Long Term Climate Action Strategy. Annual revisions to the Climate Action Plan will focus on the near and medium term perspectives; be consistent with the adopted carbon budget programme; and provide a roadmap of actions, including sectoral actions, that are needed to comply with  the carbon budgets and sectoral emission ceilings. The National Long Term Climate Action Strategy will outline, over a minimum thirty year period, the range of opportunities and transition pathways towards the national climate objective. Work is currently underway across Government on the development of a new Climate Action Plan for 2021. This plan will include additional policies and measures in every sector to bring about the significant changes needed to transform our society. Furthermore, the Government is undertaking a review of the National Development Plan (NDP), which will look at the necessary capital investment in areas such as energy, transport and the built environment to support delivery of the Programme for Government commitment. The low-carbon transition will require significant private investment alongside Exchequer expenditure on a sustained basis over a number of decades. Polices and measures will need to integrate change into existing spending plans and create the regulatory requirements, market incentives and innovative space to achieve our climate objectives.

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