Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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99. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide an update on the Climate Action Plan. [62827/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 significantly strengthened the legally binding framework for climate governance in Ireland. The Act requires the delivery of successive Climate Action Plans and Long-term Climate Strategies, supported by a system of carbon budgeting and sectoral emission ceilings. The introduction and adoption of these budgets and ceilings in 2022 has set out a clear pathway for meeting our carbon budgets and Ireland’s commitment to a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030. The sectoral ceilings will be reflected in the next Climate Action Plan (CAP23), which is currently being developed and is due to be published by the end of 2022. CAP23 is the first plan to be developed under the provisions of the 2021 Climate Act. Therefore, the Plan will reflect the specific requirements of the Act to include a roadmap of actions for each sector to ensure compliance with the Sectoral Emission Ceilings. The 2022 update of the Climate Action Plan will build on the 2021 Plan and set out the policies, measures and actions to keep us within our carbon budgets and on a pathway to a net zero economy by no later than 2050. The process to deliver this new Climate Action Plan has included my Department engaging with other Government Departments, State Agencies and civil society to identify opportunities for accelerating climate action.