Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 May 2021

Wednesday, 5 May 2021

Questions (143)

Jennifer Whitmore

Question:

143. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide all correspondence between his Department’s legal unit and the Climate Change Advisory Council in relation to the preparation of the first carbon budgets as committed to in the Programme for Government; the instructions and or advice his Department has given to the Council on the way to interpret the commitment in the Programme for Government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7% per annum on average between 2021 and 2030; if that is 51% less than the 2018 baseline figure or 51% avoided emissions compared with business as usual projections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22747/21]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications

The Climate Change Advisory Council is an independent advisory body established under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015. It is tasked with assessing and advising on how Ireland is making the transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050. Thus the legal unit of the Department would not have a role in providing legal advice to the Climate Change Advisory Council.    

The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021, which is undergoing the second stage in Dail, defines the process for carbon budgeting, from which sectoral emissions ceilings for each sector will be determined. The Bill provides for carbon budgets to be proposed by the Climate Change Advisory Council in a manner that is consistent with a range of criteria, including the Paris Agreement and the Programme for Government commitment to a 51% reduction in the annual level of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 relative to their levels in 2018, as reported by the EPA. From the adopted carbon budgets, the sectoral emissions ceilings, and the policies and measures to achieve these targets, will be developed and set out in the 2021 Climate Action Plan. The first three 5-year carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings will be adopted during the course of 2021.