The Government’s proposed carbon budgets for the next decade has received a significant boost after a broad range of civil society groups have said they would not oppose its targets.
Five groups representing a wide cross-section of society – the IFA, Chambers of Commerce, the Environmental Pillar, Social Justice Ireland, and ICTU- appeared before the Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Change on Thursday to respond to the carbon budgets recommended by the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC).
When each was specifically asked if they supported or opposed the proposed reductions of greenhouse emissions over the next ten years, none of the five opposed it.
The CCAC has recommended a 4.8 per cent per annum drop in emissions between 2021 and 2025 and a much steeper 8.3 per cent per annum reduction in the second carbon budget between 2025 and 2030.
Their response contrasted to independent scientists who appeared before the committee the previous day and argued that the reductions did not go far enough.
There were sharp differences between the groups on how the burden should be shared between sectors. The IFA argued that farming should contribute no more than the lowest figure of its range which was a 22 per cent reduction (or an average of 2.2 per cent per annum) as opposed to 30 per cent. Read the full article here.
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