A Laois Offaly TD anticipates 'punitive costs' in push for net zero carbon
A Laois Offaly TD anticipates ‘punitive costs and challenges’ for rural Ireland in the push for net zero carbon emissions.
Independent Deputy Carol Nolan said Minister for the Environment; Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, has confirmed that a national Heat Policy Statement is due to be published in Q3 2023.
Minister Ryan confirmed that the new Heat Policy, which will develop options, policies and measures to decarbonise the heating and cooling sectors to 2050 is being guided by the analysis contained within The National Heat Study published by the SEAI(Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) in February 2022.
According to Deputy Nolan, the SEAI study deals extensively with issues such as changes to rural land use and estimates around available biomethane resource if changes to land use in agriculture were to occur and the freed-up land was used to grow a red clover and ryegrass mix for grass silage.
The SEAI Study also made it explicitly clear that Government policy must find “a pathway to eliminate the in-home use of coal and peat for heating to reach net-zero emissions.” she said.
“I think there will be many people in our agri-sectors and indeed right across rural Ireland who will be waiting to see what exactly Government is going to lay out in the new Heat Policy Statement,” said Deputy Nolan.
“My concern however, and this is clearly backed by the insistent tone of the Government's own climate statements and the SEAI Study, is that whether it likes or not, rural Ireland and Irish agriculture will be marched toward the delivery of net zero carbon emissions with all of the punitive costs and challenges that this entails.”
“In this context, the use of the term ‘options’ by Minister Ryan becomes redundant and indeed insulting. We know people will not be given the kind of options they want in terms of how they chose to heat their homes. It remains to be seen how the new policy will pressure, or ‘encourage’ farmers to change their land use priorities. Ultimately, I will not be remotely surprised if the Heat Policy Statement is just another iteration of the ‘this is going to hurt but it’s for your own good’ mentality that prevails with this Government,” Deputy Nolan concluded.