Sinn Féin spokesperson on environment, community and local government, Brian Stanley TD, has called on the government to "avoid the carbon cliff and environmental bankruptcy by introducing a target based Climate Change Bill".

Speaking during the Dáil debate, Deputy Stanley said: "Our society faces an enormous challenge in tackling climate change. Doing nothing is no longer an option. As legislators we have a unique role to play. We must set ourselves the task of drafting and agreeing legislation that brings us into line with agreed EU targets.

"In an attempt to spur this government into action, Sinn Féin introduced a Climate Change Bill two weeks. It is a comprehensive bill. The Sinn Féin bill contains carbon budgets, five-year targets to reduce emissions. This is the major difference between the Sinn Féin bill and Deputy Murphy’s bill. We firmly believe that carbon budgets provide a responsible tool by which we can reach our EU agreed limits.

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"If we fail to include these carbon budgets then we will be brought to a carbon cliff. Unlike our economy there are no bailouts for the environment. No troika, no ECB no IMF waiting in the wings to bail us out from environmental bankruptcy.

"The carbon budgets will ensure that current and consecutive governments remain on the road to agreed carbon emissions in line with EU and international agreements. That is 20% cut by 2020 and 80% cut by 2050 based on 1990 emissions.

"If we do not have carbon budgets then governments will simply kick the can down the road. This will have serious consequences. As we get nearer the deadlines of 2020 and 2050, drastic measures will be imposed to bring Ireland in line with agreed targets."

(CD/GK)