THE DRAFT LAW that will underpin the measures of the government’s Climate Action Plan has been published today. 

The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton today published the Draft General Scheme of the Climate Action (Amendment) Bill 2019 and confirmed that it is priority legislation for the new Dáil term.

The action plan, which was published last June, sets out a road map for Ireland and how it is going to meet its greenhouse gas targets.

Unlike other climate plans in the past, legislation will underpin many of the targets, so as to ensure they are achieved, and the government of the day is accountable. 

The Bill aims to enshrine in law many aspects, such as banning the sale of fossil fuel cars by 2030.

The draft legislation aims to stop the granting of NCTs from 2045 for fossil fuel cars.

In effect, from 2030 it will not be possible to register any new car which runs on fossil fuel. This measure will be submitted to government for approval upon the return of the Dáil this month. 

It also aims underpin Ireland’s 2050 emissions reduction target. 

Ireland has a target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050 in the electricity, building and transport sectors. 

The roll out of five-year carbon budgets for each department will also be a legal requirement. If they fail to met their target, the department will have to ‘buy out’ the difference from their financial budget.

There will also be oversight committees and regular quarterly reports to government on the progress, with the plan being very much driven by the Department of An Taoiseach.

The government will also be required to set out a decarbonisation target range for each sector, with the minister with primary responsibility for each sector to be held accountable for delivering the relevant actions.

Minister Bruton said “we must act now and leave a better, healthier, more sustainable Ireland for future generations”.

“Accountability is the key to making progress. We have a very short time to act. We must put in place a strong framework to ensure every sector, every policy, every decision delivers on the transformation that is required. Today represents a hugely important step in putting in place the necessary arrangements to achieve this objective.”