Joe O'Brien - Green Party
Minister Joe O’Brien: Ambitious Climate Bill ‘will bring extraordinary positive change to Fingal
25th March, 2021
The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill has been approved by Cabinet and will now go to the Oireachtas as priority legislation.
The Bill commits to transitioning to a climate resilient, biodiversity-rich, environmentally sustainable and climate-neutral economy by 2050. The legislation will require all carbon budgets to be in line with the Paris climate agreement and will target a reduction of 51% by 2030, making it one of the most ambitious climate bills in the world.
The Bill is a significant piece of Green legislation and delivers on a key commitment in the Programme for Government. The Bill is the culmination of many years of campaigning to put climate action on the political agenda.
Minister Joe O’Brien welcomed the approval of the Bill:
“The Climate Bill is a once in a lifetime opportunity to change our economy and society for the better. With this Bill we have set ambitious targets for carbon reduction and made Climate Action the law in Ireland. The next stage is the Climate Action Plan, which will give us the roadmap to Net Zero. The Government is launching a public consultation on the plan, so I encourage everyone to join the conversation and have your say on Ireland’s climate future.”
“The Green Party is driving a scale of ambition that brings Ireland further and faster on emissions reductions than any country has achieved before. Climate Action is one of the reasons people supported the Greens in Government and by being ambitious on these issues, we can build a cleaner greener economy and a better future for our children.”
“The scale of the changes we need to make is significant, but taking action on climate means new jobs and a better quality of life for our communities. It will bring extraordinary positive change to Fingal. We will see warmer homes, expanded public transport services, and significant investment in walking and cycling infrastructure.”
“As Minister for Community Development and Charities I feel that it’s crucial that community and voluntary groups are a part of the change. So I am glad to say that under this Bill there will be a requirement on Local Authorities to consult with their local Public Participation Network as part of the development of their local Climate Action plans.”
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Notes for the editor:
- The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill includes the following key elements:
- Places on a statutory basis a ‘national climate objective’, which commits to pursue and achieve no later than 2050, the transition to a climate resilient, biodiversity-rich, environmentally-sustainable and climate-neutral economy
- Embeds the process of carbon budgeting into law, Government are required to adopt a series of economy-wide five-year carbon budgets, including