Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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207. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the current position in regard to Ireland’s ability and progress in the matter of climate change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19117/22]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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208. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the extent to which Ireland is expected to meet its targets in respect of climate change; the challenges or shortcomings in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19118/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 208 together.

The climate ambition in the Programme for Government has been placed on a statutory footing through the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. The Act commits Ireland to achieve a climate neutral economy by no later than 2050, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels.

The significantly strengthened legally binding framework under the Act with clear targets and commitments set in law, including a process for setting carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings, will help ensure that Ireland achieves its climate goals and obligations. Establishing these requirements in legislation places a clear obligation on this and future governments for sustained climate action. In order to deliver on this ambition, the Government published the Climate Action Plan 2021 last November. It identifies actions necessary to achieve our emissions reductions targets. The Plan sets out indicative ranges of emissions reductions for each sector of the economy based on their respective starting points, and the relative difficulty, cost, speed, and benefits, of reducing emissions. All sectors will reduce emissions by an ambitious and achievable percentage, each playing a vital role in meeting our targets.

The 2021 Plan builds on the significant progress made since the 2019 Plan, in particular in the areas of climate governance, renewable electricity, just transition, the development of a National Residential Retrofit Plan and the increasing levels of bio-fuels in the transport sector. The National Development Plan has allocated significantly increased funding to climate action, including public transport and retrofitting.Failure to rapidly decarbonise our economic model will have far reaching negative impacts on the economy and the public finances; undermine the long-term, sustainable competitiveness of the economy; and lock Ireland into a redundant fossil-fuel based economic model. Embracing the transition will increase our energy security, as well as supporting further job creation through the development of new and emerging sectors.