Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 31 May 2018
184. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the extent to which his Department has identified and proposed action on the issue of climate change and the need to accelerate a programme to address the issues concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24163/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraClimate change presents a very significant challenge, the scale and complexity of which is not underestimated by this Government. The 2014 National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development sets out an ambitious long-term commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Ireland by at least 80% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2050 across the electricity generation, built environment and transport sectors; and in parallel, to pursue an approach to carbon neutrality in the agriculture and land-use sector, including forestry, which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production.
Under the Paris Agreement, the EU has committed, on behalf of its Member States, to a reduction of at least 30% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, to be achieved by reductions in the Emission Trading System (ETS) sector of 43% and in the non-ETS sector of 30%. The recently agreed EU Effort Sharing Regulation sets out binding annual greenhouse gas emission targets for each Member State for the period 2021 to 2030. Ireland’s target under this Regulation will be for a 30% reduction in 2005 levels of non-ETS emissions by 2030.
Closing the gap on Ireland's EU targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and 2030 will be extremely challenging. The latest projections of greenhouse gas emissions, published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today, indicate that emissions from those sectors of the economy covered by Ireland's 2020 targets could be between 0% and 1% below 2005 levels by 2020, in the context of a target that emissions should be 20% below their 2005 levels. While this is very disappointing, it is not surprising given the recent pace of economic growth, and the consequent increases in emissions from the agriculture and transport sectors in particular.
The projected shortfall to our target is further exacerbated by both the constrained investment capacity over the past decade due to the economic crisis, and the extremely challenging nature of the target itself. In fact, it is now accepted that Ireland’s 2020 target was not consistent with what would be achievable on an EU wide cost-effective basis. With this in mind it is crucial that the focus of our efforts must now be to ensure that we, at the absolute very least, meet our 2030 target.
As a means to addressing Ireland’s emissions reduction challenge, I published Ireland’s first statutory National Mitigation Plan in July 2017. It has established the framework for the development and implementation of medium-to-long-term policy options so as to achieve progressive emissions reductions in each of its four key sectors with the most significant contribution to national emissions (Electricity Generation; the Built Environment; Transport; and Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use). The Plan is a living document that will be updated as on-going analysis, dialogue and technological innovation generate more and more cost-effective sectoral mitigation options.
I subsequently published Ireland’s first statutory National Adaptation Framework in January 2018. The Framework sets out the national strategy to reduce the vulnerability of the country to the negative effects of climate change and to avail of positive impacts. Under the Framework, seven Government Departments and Agencies, with responsibility for the twelve priority sectors identified in the Framework, will be required to prepare sectoral adaptation plans in line with the requirements of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 and the Framework itself.
Implementation of both the National Mitigation Plan and National Adaptation Framework is overseen by a High Level Climate Action Steering Group, which I chair and which reports, in turn, to the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, Environment and Climate Action.
Building on these strategies, the publication in February of the National Development Plan, reaffirms the Government’s commitment to transitioning Ireland to a low carbon, climate resilient economy and society. It will lead to a significant step change in funding available for climate action over the next decade. This funding commitment provides a clear opportunity for significant up-scaling in our investments to deliver deep emissions reductions in the coming decade and to further develop and implement the National Mitigation Plan and National Adaptation Framework.
Reflecting the strong commitment of Government on this issue, almost €22 billion will be directed, between Exchequer and non-Exchequer resources, to addressing the transition to a low-carbon and climate resilient society. In addition, the National Development Plan allocated a further €8.6 billion for investments in sustainable mobility. This means that well over €1 in €5 spent under the National Development Plan will be on climate mitigation, and this capital investment will enable us to deliver a significant reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions over the period to 2030.
Both the National Mitigation Plan and the National Development Plan explicitly recognise that reliance solely on Exchequer expenditure schemes is neither affordable nor adequate to the scale of the challenge to be addressed, and climate mitigation action will require a targeted balance between Exchequer-supported expenditure, taxation measures, regulation and behavioural change. In certain cases, taxation policy may have a stronger role to play in changing individual or business behaviour and investment decisions, including harnessing non-Exchequer finance.
I will also shortly publish an update on climate mitigation policy to coincide with the Empowering Communities for Climate Action event on 20 June, which will reflect the significant policy developments since the National Mitigation Plan, in particular with the publication of the National Development Plan.
In terms of on-going climate mitigation policy development, the EU requires that we produce a draft National Energy and Climate Plan by end 2018, with the final plan to be developed by end 2019. This represents a further opportunity to build on the National Mitigation Plan and the National Development Plan to ensure Ireland moves to a pathway of long-term decarbonisation. Finally, I am required, under the 2015 Act, to bring forward a new National Mitigation Plan at least once every five years. The latest date by which this must happen is, therefore, July 2022.
