THE TAOISEACH would assume legal responsibility for ensuring Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions targets were met under radical new proposals for a climate change Bill.
The all-party Committee on Climate Change has unanimously recommended a specific legal obligation be placed on the taoiseach of the day to meet onerous climate change targets in 2020 and beyond. It also suggests that emissions targets, including the long-term target for 2050, be set down in the law. This measure is broadly similar to one included in the British Climate Change Act introduced last year.
The other major features for new laws proposed by the committee include the setting up of an independent climate change commission. Among its roles would be the preparation of impact and risk assessment arising from climate change and laying out strategies on mitigation.
The report also proposes that an office on climate change and renewable energy be established with responsibility for advising on national policy on climate change.
The report’s author, Labour Party TD Liz McManus, said the taoiseach’s department had to be central to the new legislation.
“We do not have leadership. We have a Minister for the Environment [John Gormley] who is genuinely committed on the climate change issue, but it’s like turning a tank around,” she said.
Other major changes suggested include the setting of energy and electricity efficiency targets and the preparation of a national climate change strategy.
It also proposes the introduction of penalties for sectors that fail to meet the targets, including local authorities and public transport companies. However, committee members conceded that the imposition of penalties in some sectors, including agriculture, would be problematic.
Speaking at the launch of the report in Leinster House, committee chairman Seán Barrett (Fine Gael) said that the report was sufficiently detailed to form the basis for legislation.
Mr Barrett pointed out that all members of the committee, which includes five Fianna Fáil members and Green Party TD Ciarán Cuffe,support the document.
Ms McManus said: “The response must be cross-party. It must also inform policymaking across all government departments and it must extend beyond the five yearly government election cycles.”
Members of the committee, including Government members, yesterday expressed frustration at the lack of take-up by Government of its previous reports, despite the committee being part of the 2007 programme for government, inserted at the Greens’ insistence.
One Government TD, Bobby Aylward, said he hoped that the report would be taken on board.
“I am disappointed with progress so far to be honest. I had hoped for movement with our previous reports. Maybe today will be a catalyst for that and we will get a reply,” he said.
Simon Coveney of Fine Gael cited previous work of the committee on an offshore renewable energy Bill and on exploiting the potential for electric cars. He said there was no response from Government departments on either measure.
Home insulation: upgrades on way
SOME 40,000 Irish homes will be upgraded by the end of the year under the Government’s two major schemes for retro-fitting and insulating homes, it was disclosed yesterday.
Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) confirmed to an Oireachtas all-party committee that some 3,000 direct jobs had also been supported by its Warmer Homes and Home Energy Savings schemes.
It also contended that for every €1 spent on SEI, it was achieving €6 in savings to the economy from energy-use reduction measures.
In a presentation to the Joint Committee on Climate Change, Prof J Owen Lewis, chief executive of SEI, and Dr Brian Motherway, its head of strategy and innovation, outlined the impact that both schemes have had since being introduced in January this year.
They said the total of €100 million invested in the Warmer Homes scheme (primarily for local authority stock) and the Home Energy Savings scheme (where grant-aid is available to retro-fit house insulation) had resulted in energy cost savings worth as much as €400 million in the long term.
HARRY MCGEE