The Taoiseach has warned that the failure to take urgent action against climate change is “not an option”.
Publishing the Government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51 per cent by the end of the decade, Micheál Martin said it will require “profound changes” in our lives.
The €125 billion plan is set to transform how people travel around the country, heat their homes, use public transport as well as the production of food.
Mr Martin said that “our homes, workplaces, communities must all adapt”, but said the benefits are clear.
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Part of the plan is to have almost one million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, under targets set out in the Government’s climate budget.
It aims to introduce 845,000 electric cars, 95,000 vans, 3,500 trucks and 1,500 buses, bringing the total number of electric vehicles on the road to 945,000.
An additional 500,000 public transport journeys are to be provided per day, with the transport fleet to go all electric by 2035.
Public sector example
The public sector is set to “lead by example”, under the budget plans, with employees set to switch to remote working 20 per cent of the time.
“It is now crystal clear that we need to dramatically reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we are putting into the atmosphere, to have hope of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, keep our ecosystems functioning and ensure that our planet is safe and liveable for generations to come,” Mr Martin said.
“We will of course debate the various elements of our plan, but on the requirement for urgent action, there is no debate.
“Failure to act now is not an option.
“I recognise that the transition to climate neutrality no later than 2050 will require a profound change in the practices and sectors that support our lifestyle.”
Read more: One million electric vehicles by 2030 under €125bn climate action plan
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that climate change is happening now.
“Climate change is real. It’s happening now. It’s been happening for decades, but it has become more obvious in the past 10 years,” Mr Varadkar said.
“We see it all around us with hotter summers, milder winters, more storms, more floods, more fires, shocking biodiversity loss.
“Need for action is long since past urgent and action has to happen on many levels, individual, community, national and international.
“Ireland is a smaller country, we are only five million people but on a per capita basis we had a disproportionately large impact on our climate.”
No time left
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said there is no time left for any delay to tackle climate change.
He added: “We need every person involved in the sort of actions that are needed to stop the pollution of atmosphere.
“The plan we launch today is our best policy guide to how climate action and just transition will unfold in Ireland.
“I believe our country is well-placed to play its part in this great mission. We know what we have to do. Halving our emissions in this decade and become a climate neutral country by 2050.
“It will require an all-island approach and determined co-operation. It will involve system change in how we look after our land, use energy supplies, organise our transport, waste and the economic systems. It will be the defining challenge of our time.”
