THE GOVERNMENT has given its approval for the drafting of a climate change Bill in what is seen as a concession to the Green Party.
At its weekly meeting last Wednesday, the Cabinet gave the green light to Minister for the Environment John Gormley to draft the heads of the legislation.
The Bill was expected to form the core part of the programme for government negotiations in the autumn, talks that were agreed after the disastrous performance of the junior Coalition partner in the local elections.
While the details and targets of the Bill will be subject to negotiation when Mr Gormley presents the draft legislation, a senior source in the Green Party emphasised that the key gain had been the acceptance by Fianna Fáil that there was a need to give climate change full statutory recognition.
“The important point is that the principles and policies will be enshrined in law,” the source continued. “Climate change will be integrated into all policy objectives. There will be a statutory obligation on all Government departments to comply with climate change objectives and to provide the necessary mechanisms to deliver on them. This is the icing on the cake for the Greens in Government.”
The legislation will be closely linked to a new national climate change strategy due during 2010. Measures proposed in previous Government strategies on climate change from 2000 onwards have only been partially achieved.
Several leading Green Party figures, including Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan, have said they would like the legislation to be modelled on the British climate change act introduced last November. The British legislation specifies concrete targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Others are not convinced that the British approach is as far-reaching as has been portrayed. It has been pointed out that that legislation will accommodate both the programme to build new nuclear power stations and the new runway at Heathrow airport.
The Greens say new legislation here would result in a sea change in the Government’s outlook with every major policy and initiative being “climate-proofed”. They argue that the cost of these changes will be neutral and will benefit Ireland’s competitiveness at a time when all developed economies are moving towards low-carbon models.
The new Bill is expected to be published ahead of the global conference on climate change in Copenhagen in December.
