Matt Shanahan presses for sectoral guarantees on carbon bill
Matt Shanahan addressed the Dáil on 6 April 2022 about climate legislation and the invitation for President Zelenskyy to address Parliament, urging protections for private business and the indigenous agricultural sector. He criticised the carbon reduction bill being voted on without accompanying sectoral emissions reforms or targets and asked the Taoiseach what guarantees would be given to those sectors.
Tribute and Zelenskyy invitation
He paid tribute to his regional group colleague Deputy Carl Berry for initiating the proposal that President Zelenskyy should address the Parliament and for allowing members to express solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
Concerns over the carbon reduction bill
He said the IPCC report underscores the need to expedite climate action and warned that the carbon reduction bill was being voted on without any sight of sectoral emissions reforms or the sectoral targets previously promised when the legislation was tabled.
Requests for guarantees to business and agriculture
He asked the Taoiseach what guarantees could be given to the private business sector and the indigenous agricultural sector about future sectoral targets - specifically that they would not be penalised for failures by public bodies or for delays in rolling out renewable energy.
Government response and legislative framework
The Taoiseach commended Deputy Barry for his initiative and said carbon budgets and related legislation will follow, with extensive cross‑sectoral work underway. He cited the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Amendment Act of 2021, enacted in July, as creating the legal framework and timelines, and noted that the first two carbon budgets proposed by the Climate Change Advisory Council should equate to a total reduction of 51% by 2030 relative to a 2018 baseline - a target that will present significant challenges for all sectors.
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Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to my regional group colleague, Deputy Carl Berry, who was the first to propose that President Zelenskyy would address this Parliament and allow us to express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The IPCC report yet again shows the need for all of us to expedite climate action. And you will note that we will be voting on the carbon reduction bill tonight without any sight of sectoral emissions reforms or targets that you had promised previously when this legislation was being tabled. I would ask you Taoiseach what guarantees can or will you give to the private business sector and indeed to the indigenous agricultural sector in terms of future sectoral targets that they will not be penalised for the failure of public bodies and public sector to achieve their targets or for our inability to roll out our renewable energy. First of all, I would commend Deputy Barry also for his initiative in terms of acting as a catalyst for the invitation of President Zelenskyy to address the doyle. And secondly, in terms of the carbon protection legislation or the carbon budgets, they will be coming later and there's extensive work undergoing with all sectors in respect to the carbon budgets. But this all arises from the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Amendment Act of 2021, which was enacted in July of last year. And that creates the legal framework, the timelines in respect of all the actions that have to follow. And the Act provides that the first two carbon budgets proposed by the Climate Change Advisory Council should equate to a total reduction of 51% over the period of 2030 relative to a baseline of 2018. And that will present very significant challenges for all sectors.
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