Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegation for its presentations. The report is a wake-up call, as if we had not enough of those already, and raises a red flag in a way that previous reports have not done.

It has dawned on this committee that we need to adopt a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to tackle climate change and communicating with citizens will be crucial. I believe that we have failed to communicate with citizens to a great degree. A national dialogue on climate action has been established but an enormous amount of work remains to be done to tackle the complex problem of climate change. Can the witnesses list the actions that other countries have taken to communicate with citizens that have proven to be successful? Are meteorological services in other countries used to communicate with citizens? Met Éireann, the Irish national meteorological service, communicates weather information several times every day. I firmly believe such communication is an opportunity for the State broadcaster and Met Éireann to work together to promote climate change. I ask the witnesses to express their views and cite examples.

Can the witnesses recommend a set of climate principles that all political parties could take on board? Regardless of which party is in power, we must ensure that the principles underpin climate action into the future.

The witnesses made a reference to the impact climate change would have on islands. Ireland is vulnerable to climate change due to being an island nation. What will happen if temperatures are not kept in check globally? What will happen to this island in a catastrophic situation? At what point will a situation be declared catastrophic? What adaptation measures have been successful in other countries? I would like to know that so that we might add them to our climate action plan.

The Citizens' Assembly recommended a tax on greenhouse gas emissions generated by the agricultural sector. How do the witnesses view the imposition of a greenhouse gas tax on agriculture in Ireland? Would the initiative have a net benefit on global emissions or displace production to somewhere less efficient? That latter issue has arisen and we must take it into consideration.

Should methane be added to the emissions trading system? Are there examples of methane sequestration available?

As much as 20% of the land in Ireland is covered in peat. Is there a potential for using peatlands for sequestration and as a carbon sink? Do the witnesses have a calculation on the re-wetting of bogs and whether it is successful?

The Republic of Ireland has a very mixed agricultural policy. Some farmers are interested in afforestation but some are not and view the planting of trees as a waste of good land. Are there good examples of afforestation? If so, we can incentivise farmers to increase afforestation. What types of trees are the best choice?