JOINT COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY SECURITY debate -
Wednesday, 20 Feb 2008

Business of Joint Committee.

Chairman

We have a quorum and I welcome members to the meeting. Item No. 1 is the minutes of the meeting of 6 February, which have been circulated. Are the minutes agreed? Agreed.

Moving on to correspondence, we received an e-mail dated 6 February from the chairman of the steering group overseeing the Government climate change communications and public awareness campaign. The group has offered to brief the committee about the campaign and its objectives. It will afford us an opportunity of an excursion to Shankill and elsewhere to examine coastal erosion.

Deputy Liz McManus

It is the right constituency.

Chairman

Exactly. I do not know whether travelling to Shankill alone would be of great benefit. If members are agreeable, we should first invite the group to a meeting and include the excursion in another visit. It will be difficult to get people to go to Shankill to see the cliffs.

Deputy Ciarán Cuffe

It is important to send out a message to the effect that climate change is occurring close to home. Going to conferences abroad can have significant value, but there is equal value in considering the issues arising from climate change and its effects closer to home. The visit would be of use, but the committee is in the Chairman's hands.

Chairman

The Deputy should not get me wrong.

Deputy Ciarán Cuffe

It would be good to have the group attend, but even a day trip around the Dublin metropolitan area could be of importance in sending out a couple of messages, namely, that climate change is occurring on the east coast and that we are not heading half-way around the world to consider the issues that must be addressed.

Chairman

When we first met, I stated that I would like the committee to go out instead of always meeting in here. However, we have a number of groups to meet and I am anxious to complete the process of our education in various areas before we start going out and about. We should incorporate matters such as coastal erosion in an overall tour during which we would consider many other issues. Does the Deputy understand what I mean?

As the committee will shortly see, we are trying to arrange a visit to the Marine Institute in Galway where there is great enthusiasm for our presence. The committee has been invited to Cork, which could be a good visit. While I am in favour of visits, the Shankill invitation seems to be in response to a complaint to the effect that we were not invited to the launch of the campaign on climate change, which we accept was an oversight. I would like to believe that any visits made by the committee would be part of a comprehensive tour. I will not have a problem if the committee disagrees with me, but I would recommend that, with no disrespect to any particular group, we should hear from the group in question before arranging other visits to coincide with the trip to Shankill. It is in my constituency, is nice to visit and members would be welcome, but I leave it to the members to decide.

Deputy Simon Coveney

I do not want to take up the meeting's time. This is the Chairman's decision and, if he believes it worthwhile, I would happily go with his judgment.

Concerning coastal erosion, we should be careful not to link every negative issue with climate change. The reality is that coastal erosion has been a problem for centuries, considerably so on the Cork coastline, the western seaboard and, now, the eastern seaboard. It would occur with or without global warming. We should be careful not to try to create the impression that everything is due to climate change, but the committee must tell people in a blunt way when something is occurring as a result of climate change.

When I was discussing the threat of rising sea levels recently, I was asked about the Irish figures linked with icecaps melting and global warming for the past 20 to 30 years. I was exposed in my answer because I was unsure as to whether the figures were available and what they were. Committee members should have such figures at their fingertips. When we visit places like the Marine Institute, this is the type of information we can get. Our tours should link together a series of matters, such as coastal erosion due to the increased intensity of storms and the institute's various research, including wave energy, rising sea levels and so on. It would be a great idea if the visit in the greater Dublin area is to link together a series of different consequences of climate change, but it would be difficult to justify on the basis of coastal erosion alone.

Deputy Liz McManus

I agree. As a small child, I remember collecting marl on the cliffs at Shankill because it was good for making pottery at school. The area has suffered coastal erosion for a long time and it would be foolish of the committee to make the connection in the public mind automatic.

Regarding the Chairman's suggestion about meeting the group beforehand, I do not know what it does or what it is for. It has a large budget, but what the budget will be spent on is opaque. Its correspondence with the committee is inappropriate. It would be better to bring the group to a meeting and discover what is the situation. That we were not invited to the launch was a bad mistake. I support the Chairman's opinion that the group should attend a meeting, after which we could plan out how to engage with it.

Chairman

When I was Minister for the Marine, I visited every coastline in Ireland. This was particularly the case when people made requests, such as Deputies looking for funding to combat coastal erosion. Even if we had £2 billion, we would not have solved the problem. It is a serious issue that I would not demean, nor would I demean a kind invitation to visit anywhere, but I would prefer to learn about what the groups are doing before going places. The committee is going through a learning process. Today's guest, Dr. Jerry Murphy, will form part of our education. It is important to have experts advise the committee. With the committee's agreement, we will invite the group to a meeting during which we will ask it for suggestions as to where we should visit and what matters besides coastal erosion we should take into account. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The next item is a press release from the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources announcing price supports for offshore wind energy. Is it agreed to note the correspondence? Agreed.

The next item is an invitation from the Minister for Transport to attend the launch of the sustainable travel and transport plan on 25 February. Is it agreed to note this? I will attend it and other members may be free to do likewise. Agreed.

The next item is a newsletter from the GLOBE Europe organisation, entitled European Policy Update 65, dated January.

Deputy Ciarán Cuffe

I am in receipt of newsletters from GLOBE Europe but they do not open on the version of Lotus Notes I have. Perhaps the clerk has experienced similar difficulties and might communicate with me directly whether it is working on his machine.

Chairman

We can arrange to print it off somewhere else.

Deputy Ciarán Cuffe

It is more to be able to read it electronically but there seem to be incompatibility issues.

Chairman

I omitted to introduce Mr. Michael McKenna, the new permanent clerk to the committee. He has come to us from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and on behalf of the committee members I welcome him. We look forward to working with him. It is sad to see our dear friend, Mr. Colm Downey, leaving. He has been exceptionally generous with his time serving on two busy committees. We deeply appreciate his help, which was always given with a smile. We will cross paths again.

There is a press release from the Minister of State at the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Killeen, regarding his address on climate change and energy security at the first EU-Arab ministerial meeting. Is it agreed to note that? Agreed.

A letter has been received from the clerk of the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny about decisions taken by that committee. It will meet on 12 February. Is it agreed to note that? Agreed.

A letter from the National Offshore Wind Energy Association, NOW Ireland, has been received in reply to our request for information about the organisation. It would be worthwhile inviting the group to meet us. We could combine it with other groups. Is it agreed to note that? Agreed.

An invitation has been received from Trócaire for a round table discussion, entitled Climate Change — Perspectives from the Global South, on 5 March. On that date the Environmental Protection Agency is appearing before the committee.

Deputy Simon Coveney

My understanding is that NOW Ireland the national offshore wind group is appearing before the Joint Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. Is it necessary to have them appear before both? Perhaps the Chairman could co-ordinate with the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

Chairman

I would like to hear from them personally but we will do as suggested.

Deputy Liz McManus

It is important we hear from Trócaire which is running a significant campaign on what is a major issue in the developing world. This would be an appropriate place to highlight the issues with which it is concerned.

Chairman

We will explain it is clashing with the committee hearings. We have agreed that date with the EPA but we could invite Trócaire to appear.

Deputy Liz McManus

Will it be on that day?

Chairman

It cannot be on that day because the EPA is appearing to address carbon credits.

Deputy Liz McManus

It would be nice to do it before Easter.

Chairman

We will contact them to see what we can work out. The final item of correspondence is an invitation from the Marine Institute. We referred to this the previous day. The institute is pleased to receive us and is organising a comprehensive programme. The institute has asked if we could stay overnight in Galway.

Deputy Finian McGrath

What date was the Chairman considering? Galway is a beautiful spot.

Chairman

Around April. We will consider a few dates in April and revert to members. It would be worthwhile.

Deputy Simon Coveney

If we are going to stay overnight in Galway it should be a Thursday night, so that we could travel after the Dáil adjourns. Otherwise we are committing a weekend to it.

Chairman

We could go there on Thursday and return on Friday.

Deputy Simon Coveney

Thursday night is the appropriate night if we are to stay somewhere.