The leaders of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have committed to the development of a national land use policy plan in their response to the Green Party’s correspondence on government-formation talks.
Last week, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan wrote to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin seeking clarity on 17 key issues before his party would agree to formal negotiations on shaping the next government.
In terms of agriculture, some of the key questions posed by the Green Party to Fine Gael and Fianna Fail were: “Will you commit to an average annual reduction in GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions of at least 7%?” and “will you commit to the development of a national land use plan?”
While under the current Climate Action Plan, the average annual reduction in GHG emissions is estimated to be about 3% per annum over the next decade; while earlier this morning, Wednesday, April 29, it emerged that the Taoiseach and Michéal Martin “would like to tease out with you through talks, the specific actions that would have to be taken to achieve at least an average 7% a year reduction”.
The leaders continue by adding: “We all need to understand the impact it would have on employment, poverty, agricultural practice, public transport, regional development and on the different sections of society.
No party will want to introduce changes that will jeopardise employment or increase levels of poverty or have a negative impact on rural and regional development.
In the correspondence sent to Ryan, the leaders also state that: “We will also need to consider the correct target for biogenic methane, on which the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has advised the application of a different target than that for other GHGs.
“We believe that within the first 100 days we should bring forward and enact a new Climate Bill that will enhance and strengthen the CCAC, put a net zero target for 2050 into law and provide for five-year carbon budgets.”
National land use plan
Meanwhile, in response to the Green Party’s query gauging support for the development of a national land use plan “that will inform both the new national economic plan and the new social contract”, this is what leaders of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had to say:
“Yes. We can agree to developing a national land use plan, and discuss how best to do this.
“We think there may also be value in developing a similar plan for our marine resources and would look forward to considering this during the programme for government talks.
Renewable Energy
Furthermore, in response to the Green Party’s ask on commitment to an ambitious programme of development of, and investment where necessary in, renewable energy infrastructure including off-shore wind, grid and inter-connector upgrades and community energy projects – the leaders of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil also set out their stall.
“Yes. All parties have already committed to this and a 70% renewable target by 2030 in the joint Oireachtas report.
“Developing offshore renewables at scale offers an exciting opportunity for Ireland to become a world leader in ocean renewable power.
The ambition should be not confined to supplying renewable power to our own grid; but to become a significant exporter via grid inter-connectivity with the UK and EU electricity grids.
“The Irish sea offshore wind projects will be the first to develop, but the massive potential of the western seaboard wind and wave resource must be central to government planning also.
“The exact nature of such an ambitious programme would obviously be developed through future talks.”
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