John Bruton
Question:1 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach if he will outline the proposals he intends to make at the Earth Summit.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Earth Summit.
The Government's approach to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was set out during the course of the debate on the conference which took place in the House on 8 May.
Important global conventions on climate change and biodiversity have already been concluded and will be signed by many countries, including Ireland. The Rio Declaration, or Earth Charter, will establish basic international ground rules for environment policy for the years ahead. And Agenda 21 will set out a practical agenda for sustainable development into the next century across a range of areas, including climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, transboundary air and water pollution and the contamination of the oceans and seas, as well as areas of development policy like action to combat poverty, health and education, the role of women in the development process and the impact of population trends.
Ireland is participating actively at the Rio Conference which began last week. The Minister for the Environment, Deputy Smith; the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Daly, and the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, with special responsibility for the protection of the environment, Deputy Harney, are participating in the Conference at appropriate times in its two weeks duration. I have arranged for the inclusion of representatives of the main Opposition parties and of the Joint Committee on Women's Rights in the Irish delegation. The Government are also assisting attendance at the Rio Global Forum of a sizeable representation from Irish environment and development nongovernmental organisations.
I can assure the House that Ireland, which has already, last January, hosted in Dublin a major UN Conference on Water and Sustainable Development, and has just enacted important new environmental legislation, will work actively for the success of the Rio Conference and for the practical implementation of its conclusions.
Does the Taoiseach support the proposal for a ten dollar a barrel carbon tax to combat global warming?
That proposal emanated in the first instance, as far as Ireland is concerned, at EC level and related to energy tax to be used for various purposes. However, it is at a very early stage and, of course, would have enormous consequences for Ireland in regard to the cost of energy. Consequently, we would have to look at various alternatives of environmentally friendly energy production before we come to any conclusions in that regard.
Is the Taoiseach not aware that this matter is being discussed at Rio de Janeiro? Is he further aware that Argentina and Brazil have both proposed that $1 out of that $10 tax should be used for Third World aid? Will the Taoiseach indicate whether he supports such a proposal?
It is not in the nature of this conference to make proposals and decisions lightly in the manner which the Deputy is suggesting. The Government, as I hope the Deputy knows, have strongly supported the UNCED process and, indeed, have participated fully in all the major preparatory committees and meetings, including the last one in New York in March. They are the committees and the fora from which those issues emanate. The Rio Conference will finalise the work that has been done to date and Ireland will be contributing to this process during the conference. It is not in the nature of the conference that Governments would put forward specific proposals for decisions in the manner in which the Deputy is suggesting.
If the Taoiseach, as head of the Government, has no proposals to make on any topic at Rio de Janeiro, why does he propose to spend the last five days of the Maastricht Treaty campaign out of the country?
I am quite confident of the Government's action campaign in relation to the Maastricht Treaty and I cannot see what bearing that has on the question.
The Taoiseach should have told Deputy Andrews that last night before he went on television.
I knew all about it.
That is not what the Minister told the people.
However, I hope that today's declaration by the leaders of the four main parties, in conjunction with the action programme that has been devised by the Government and, indeed, by the individual parties, will mean that we will get a positive "Yes" vote on 18 June. I did not say that I would not be making suggestions in relation to items that can be examined. Indeed, I shall be asking the conference to accelerate conserving technologies that should be rapidly brought forward in order to help in the fight against global warming, harmful emissions and rain forest destruction. For instance, I shall suggest consideration of the use of alternatives to charcoal and coke in the steel industry in Brazil, which contributes more than 10 per cent of CO2 emission into the atmosphere. The emission of CO2 into the atmosphere can cause flaring gas. We shall certainly be making plenty of suggestions on such issues. The Deputy need not be worried; this country will be well and truly represented at the Conference in Rio de Janeiro.
Whereas the Government's focus at the Rio de Janeiro Conference may be at the main conference, my understanding is that much good work is taking place at the margins of the conference. From the Taoiseach's schedule, could he outline to us whether he will be attending or addressing any conferences on the margin?
I have sought various meetings with some Heads of Government in relation to conferences on the margins. I hope to finalise the arrangements when I get to Rio de Janeiro. Some meetings have already been finalised but others have not.
I should like to ask the Taoiseach two questions concerning the conference at Rio de Janeiro. First, would he not agree that global warming is one of the most serious ecological problems that the world has to face? Would he further agree that something must be done to reduce the pollution from fossil fuel power stations? That could be done primarily by way of an energy tax. Would the Taoiseach not agree that it is a disgrace that Ireland is not supporting the concept of an energy tax? Second, will the Taoiseach support Dublin Corporation tomorrow when, as is very likely, they make a call for Dublin to be a CFC-free zone, in view of the tremendous damage that CFCs are causing?
This question deals with the Earth Summit.
Deputy Garland is trying to bring the Taoiseach down to earth.
Of course the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere is one of the main issues in relation to pollution of the environment. Undoubtedly this country will be addressing that issue. The answer does not necessarily lie in taking the easy way out and putting a tax on energy as the only solution to the problem. The use of fossil fuels in energy production is one aspect that is receiving much attention at Government level and from the Department of Energy and the agencies involved in energy production under their aegis. There is an ongoing and lively investigation into proposals for alternative methods of energy production. We shall continue to examine the issue; we will not merely jump in as a knee-jerk reaction and say that the answer is a carbon tax, because there may well be other options.
Would the Taoiseach not agree that his failure today to give any indication of serious thought on the matter of a carbon tax must convey the impression that he does not have a very clear purpose in his visit to Rio de Janeiro? I should like to ask the Taoiseach a separate question entirely: is he aware that Sir Ninian Steven, the proposed chairman of Strand II of the talks on Northern Ireland will be present in Rio de Janeiro as the official head of the Australian delegation? Will he avail of the opportunity presented by the attendance of Sir Ninian and also that of the British Prime Minister to have further discussions on prospects for advancing the talks process in Northern Ireland?
The Deputy is raising a very separate and distinct matter now.
To allay the Deputy's fear that I have not given serious thought to the environment or to the matters coming before the conference, I refer him to a very wide-ranging speech that I made in Cork last September in which I examined that issue a long time before the Deputy or any other Opposition Member even thought of it. The Deputy should not think that I am short on ideas. I am prepared to give the Deputy a copy of the speech to which I have referred. The speech shows clearly that I was addressing the issue of the emission of CO² into the air long before anyone else in the House. In response to the Deputy's other question, I shall be meeting the British Prime Minister in Rio de Janeiro and have already received a courtesy call from Sir Ninian here in Dublin.
Could I ask a brief supplementary question?
I have a brief supplementary.
I am sorry, but we cannot dwell unduly long on this, the first question. That would only be to the detriment of all other questions. I shall hear a brief question from Deputy Shatter and then a brief and final question from Deputy Garland.
Would the Taoiseach not confirm that the Government do not have a single view on any of the issues that are to be raised at the conference in Rio de Janeiro and that his visit to Rio is more by way of a piece of environmental political optics than for any substantive reason? Is there a single initiative that the Taoiseach will take while in Rio?
That is a typical outburst of "Shatterism". Every area of the conference is being covered by representatives of the Government. The Fine Gael Party were so concerned about the conference that they wanted their own representative to attend. The Government gladly agreed to that request.
The Government wanted someone there who knew about the issues being discussed.
I hope that the Fine Gael representative has been instructed with all of the wisdom that seems to emanate from Fine Gael benches. With all of that wisdom, Fine Gael have only one proposal — to tax energy. The Government have a broad range of ideas on energy conservation and pollution of the environment. Deputy Shatter need not worry about that.
Tomorrow the Taoiseach will know of the Fine Gael ideas on the environment.
I call Deputy Garland.
Could the Taoiseach confirm that the press release which indicated that he would act as co-ordinator of the whole conference was a figment of Tom Savage's mind?
Deputy Shatter, you may not ignore the Chair.
The Taoiseach stated that he would need more time to study the energy tax. Might I remind him that the tax was proposed as long ago as 18 months. Surely that would be time enough for examination.