Tánaiste Simon Coveney has revealed more than €1 for every €5 spent in the National Development Plan (NDP) will be invested towards schemes which help tackle climate change.

Speaking as Fine Gael launches its environmental awareness campaign, Green Week, the Tánaiste said the recently launched National Development Plan commits €21.8 billion of funding towards actions "designed specifically to protect our environment and move us towards a greener society".

"This is the largest single package within the Plan, and represents a step change in public investment in climate action which will see €1 in every €5 being spent go toward tackling climate change," he said.

"We acknowledge that we have a longer journey to travel than many countries, but investment under Project Ireland 2040 will help bring us towards our national transition objective."

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Continuing, the Tánaiste outlined a number of initiatives being undertaken to combat climate change.

"The newly established Special Joint Committee on Climate Action, chaired by Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, will also be reporting within 5 months and ensuring the State's response to climate change is as comprehensive and as ambitious as possible," he said.

"From September, Ireland will be the first country in Europe to introduce a ban on smoky coal. The Government is also legislating to ban microbeads to protect our marine environments and the Bill should be published soon after the Dáil returns.

"From next year, all new buses bought for Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus will be low emission or no emission vehicles and we will spend €4 billion on energy efficiency upgrades over the next ten years.

"Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten's Department will soon receive applications for a dedicated €500 million fund for projects that will decrease Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions and increase our use of sustainable energy."

However, Mr Coveney said the challenge presented by climate change "change requires more than investment".

"It requires significant behavioural change and some tough decisions or trade-offs by government, by business, by communities and by individuals," he said.

"It requires citizen and community engagement – from planning for renewable energy projects through to individual purchasing decisions.

"Our plans over the coming years are ambitious, but we need everyone to get behind these initiatives, to make small changes in their lives so that Ireland can remain green for generations to come."

(LM/MH)