Main Features of Labour Climate Change Bill 2009

Click the icon to the left to download a document containing the key provisions of the bill Climate Change Bill 2009.

The key privisions include:

Purpose of Bill

In order to contribute so far as is reasonably practicable to limiting the inevitable and harmful effects of global average temperature increases, to ensure that emissions of greenhouse gases in the State do not exceed the levels binding the State under European Union and international law.

2050 Target
To ensure that the net carbon account for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the 1990 baseline.

2020 Target
At least 30 per cent lower than the 1990 baseline.

Functions of Taoiseach
- to set an amount for the carbon budget for each 5 year budgetary period,
- to specify a range within which he expects the amount of the net carbon account for each year within the budgetary period to fall,
- to outline the proposals and policies of the Taoiseach for meeting the carbon budgets for the current and future budgetary periods -
o setting out the time-scales over which those proposals and policies are expected to take effect,
o explaining how the proposals and policies affect different sectors of the economy,
o outlining the implications of the proposals and policies as regards the crediting of carbon units to the net carbon account for each budgetary period,
- to ensure that the net carbon account for each budgetary period does not exceed the carbon budget,
- to set the carbon budget for 2008-2012, 2013-2017 and 2018-2022, before 1 June 2009, and, for later periods, not later than 30 June in the twelfth year before the beginning of the period in question.