A Clare-based climate activist says considerable work still needs to be done before the country’s climate action plan can be achieved.
Cabinet Ministers are meeting in the next hour to sign off the the revised Climate Action Plan.
Cabinet will this afternoon sign off on the updated Climate Action Plan, which sets out how Ireland plans to get to a 51 per cent emissions reduction by 2030.
Targets include reducing the number of car journeys by 20 per cent, having one in three cars be electric by 2030, and a cut of up to 10 per cent in the number of cattle in Ireland.
It aims to increase the amount of forest planted to 8,000 hectares a year by 2023, as well as establishing a new green energy tariff to encourage people to use renewable’s.
Government sources say there is no specific commitment to congestion charges in the plan.
There is, however, plans to reduce staff parking in the public sector, increase car parking fees and reduce on street parking to prioritise public transport.
But it’s understood this will only be done in areas well served by alternative public transport options, and won’t leave people without a means of getting around.
Lisdoonvara-based climate activist Theresa O’Donohoe believes that while the plan is ambitious, radical change is needed.
She believes, however, a huge amount of work is needed with regard to public transport, particularly in rural areas and incentives for retrofitting and changing to electric-powered vehicles.
The Finance Minister insists that people need to reset their attitudes towards climate change.
Michael McGrath has admitted the updated Climate Action Bill will inconvenience people, but he thinks it’s a price that needs to be paid.
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