Climate Change Reducuctions Bill 2005

Speeches: Private Members Motion on Climate Change Reductions Targets

29 November 2005

A journey began seven years ago when Ireland signed the Kyoto Protocol. We knew then that the destination of this journey, in 2012, was to ensure the increase in Ireland’s climate change emissions would be limited to 13% over 1990 levels. We knew what we had to do and the protocol was ambitious, far-sighted and reasonable. Five years ago, at the launch of Ireland’s climate change abatement strategy, the then Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Noel Dempsey, stated: “Business as usual is no longer an option for Ireland”. This strategy was the road map which told us what had to be achieved. A promise to renew the strategy every two years has not been kept. Earlier this year, when the Kyoto Protocol came into force, Ireland had an obligation to honour that international commitment that we had made previously. Long journeys start with small steps, but sadly those first few steps have been faltering. We need to concentrate and focus clearly on the target to be met in seven years’ time.

Politicians must take a long-term view. We must move away from taxing labour and enterprise towards examining environmental damage and taxing finite resources and poor planning. We must make a shift in how we engage with policies and we must improve Government policies to assist in reducing climate change emissions.

We are producing more waste, driving further and gobbling up more land with urban sprawl. We need to change policies and get back on track. In Government, the Greens will put policies in place to reduce waste, improve public transport, encourage organic agriculture, promote renewable energy and promote proper planning and construction. It is not rocket science but it requires a commitment from Government to take the environment more seriously than it has done to date.

If the Climate Change Targets Bill 2005 is approved by the Oireachtas, it would place a legal requirement on the Government to change its policies to ensure that Ireland meets its obligations under international agreements. We want the Minister and his colleagues to report to the House annually on how we are meeting those commitments. So far the news has not been that good.

There are solutions whereby we can reduce waste. The plastic bag levy worked, for example, and we are delighted when our ideas are taken up by the Government. One cannot stop there, however. We must go further and we look forward to those commitments being met by the Government.

There was an improvement in our climate change emissions when IFI closed, but that was only temporary. We must go further by promoting organic agriculture which accounts for 1% of the sector here compared with 4% in Wales. Such a promotion would improve employment and stop farmers from leaving the land. Things like that can help us. Rather than wringing our hands when the Carlow sugar factory closed, we could examine alternative policies. Why not convert the plant to ethanol and maintain employment in that way? The Government has not given the green light for that idea, however.

We must also promote renewable energy. We have already seen the first wind turbines on the Arklow bank and planning is there for another 100 or so, but we need the incentive from Government to make that happen. Ireland can be part of a European grid that feeds green electricity throughout the European Union. So far, however, we are only in the ha’penny place so we need to go further. We need to improve planning policies. Suburban sprawl is the norm at the moment and we are still building huge housing estates miles away from the services people require. We want mixed-use communities that are placed close to schools, churches, shops and jobs. That can be done, but planning standards need to be improved to ensure it happens.

People are commuting for hours every day in a completely unsustainable manner and the lead in this regard must be taken by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Jobs should be located in commuter towns. I do not want everybody in Navan to have to travel to Dublin every morning. I want the Minister to ensure that jobs are provided in Navan so that the road from Navan to Dublin does not become a parking lot every day from 7.30 a.m.

The Minister must make the national spatial strategy work rather than engaging in the pork barrel politics of decentralisation. Our plea is for the Minister to make that shift by improving the design of apartments in our towns and cities so that instead of shoe boxes where sound travels, we will build decent homes in which people can rear their children. In the construction sector, for example, zero emission homes are already being built with heat pumps and timber-based, highly insulated construction. The solutions exist; it simply remains for the Minister to take them up.

In the 21st century, climate change is a greater threat to mankind than terrorism. It requires resolve, courage and conviction from governments. We want to see such resolve from the Minister by supporting this Bill. Climate change is already killing people in sub-Saharan Africa. It is leaving people homeless in New Orleans as a result of the hurricanes it is creating. Ireland should be able to hold its head up high. It could be a good news story but it requires vision from the Minister. We commend this Bill to the House.

Ciarán Cuffe is a TD for the Dún Laoghaire Dáil Constituency. Ciarán can be contacted at Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 96 Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire Tel. 284 6060 or 618 3082, Fax 618 4341, Email Ciaran CiaranCuffe.com, or Text Ciaran on 087 265 2075.