Greens in Government deliver ambitious, landmark Climate Action Bill

We havedelivered a new, strengthened Climate Action Bill, which for the first timecommits to pursue and achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and sets a target ofat least a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030.

This new Billcommits us to going further and faster on emission reductions than any othercountry has achieved. It includes a strengthened independent Climate Advisory Counciland sets out a requirement for 5-year carbon budgets for all sectors of oureconomy, the first two of which will allow for a 51% cut in emissions by 2030with a baseline of 2018 for comparison.  Carbon budgets are another termused for limiting the amount of carbon emissions which can be produced by allsectors of our economy, such as the transport sector, energy sector oragriculture sector.

Once the Billhas passed through the Oireachtas, the Climate Advisory Council will set thelimit or budget for each of these sectors. To go one step further again, thelegislation will also require all of our carbon budgets to be in line with theParis Climate Agreement. This means each of our targets will be more ambitiousthan the previous target, demonstrating progress in our national climate actionpolicies and our overall ambition to reach climate neutrality.

Mostimportantly, this Climate Action Bill will be justiciable. This means thatClimate Action will be the law, and NGOs or individuals will be able to takelegal action against the Government if it is failing to meet its targets.

This is areally important piece of legislation, and represents clearly why the GreenParty entered government last year. Delivering real and tangible actions thatwill address the climate and biodiversity crisis is a core element of theProgramme for Government we negotiated last summer. It is what we have alwayscampaigned for and this Bill is the result of many years of hard work anddedication from our members, NGOs and activists.

We know theimpact climate change is having on our planet, and by taking action now we canshape a better future for young people. I look forward to working withcolleagues to pass this Bill and to seeing the positive the impact it willhave.

Join theClimate Conversation

The next stepis developing the Climate Action Plan 2021 which will include yearly actionsfor each sector. The Government has opened a public consultation on the Plan inorder to gather as many views as possible from the people who will be affected.

 You viewson this are really important, as it’s so crucial that people are not leftbehind in our strive for a cleaner and greener Ireland. You can find details onhow to make a submission or take part in the survey here.