Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 February 2023
62. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the publication date for the national adaptation framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5614/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe statutory National Adaptation Framework (NAF) was published in January 2018 under Section 5 of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 (the Climate Act).
The Climate Act requires that a Minister shall review a NAF approved by the Government not less than once in every period of 5 years, and may, having regard to that review and the requirements of adaptation in relation to the effects of climate change, make and submit to the Government for approval, an updated NAF.
My Department submitted a report to me on the NAF following a comprehensive review undertaken in 2022. The report was informed by input from key stakeholders including the Climate Change Advisory Council, the Environmental Protection Agency and key sectors impacted by climate change. A public consultation was held between 26 May and 20 July, 2022.
I have approved the recommendations of the report, including the key recommendation that a new NAF with a bolder vision be developed. This will integrate advances made under the 2018 NAF, including its related sectoral plans and progress made at local, sectoral and national levels. It will also encompass a considerable body of climate adaptation research completed since the publication of the current NAF. The new NAF will have regard to climate adaptation risk assessment and indicators at all levels.
The development of a new NAF in 2023 will emphasise the increasingly important role of Climate Adaptation policy and action, embody learnings from the previous NAF, up-to-date research and feedback from all sectors received during the review process.
