What does the Climate Action Bill mean for farmers?
A legally binding National Climate Objective of Zero Emission by 2050
The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill, whose
text was approved by Government and published in late March, makes the achievement, not just the pursuit, of the “national climate objective” legally binding. This new objective includes climate neutrality, but also “the transition to a climate resilient, biodiversity rich, environmentally sustainable and climate neutral economy” all to be achieved by late 2050.
Five-year carbon budgets, sectoral ceilings, climate action plans, long term strategies
Three five-year national carbon budgets, starting from January 2021, will be proposed by the beefed-up Climate Change Advisory Council, and must be compatible with our international climate obligations. They must cover all forms of GHG emissions, including biogenic methane.
The first two budgets, taking us to 2030, must deliver a total emission reduction of 51% when compared with 2018. The three budgets combined must deliver carbon neutrality by end 2050, requiring at least 7% reduction in overall carbon emissions every year. Over-achievement of targets over a budget period may be carried forward to the next, and equally, where emission reductions are less than they should be for a budget period, the excess is carried forward in greater emission reductions to be delivered in the next budget.
The overarching budgets will be distributed to specific sectors through sectoral emissions ceilings. The sectors of the economy to which the ceilings apply will be determined by Government, but transport, electricity, enterprise, the built environment, and of course agriculture will be among them. The 2019 Climate Action Plan will be updated annually to reflect the actions to be taken by each sector, and the relevant Government Minister will be responsible for achieving the legally binding targets for their own sector. Sectoral ceilings are to be weighted to reflect the level of emissions each sector accounts for – different sectors may have different ceilings.
The Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has been given the responsibility to prepare and propose the five-yearly climate budgets to be implemented by government, and its membership has been boosted with more expertise in economic as well as climate related issues.
Every five years, a national long term climate strategy is to be produced, which will set out actions to reduce emissions and enhance sequestration for at least 30 years ahead.
Local authorities will also have to prepare localised Climate Action Plans updated every five years, and ensure that their local Development Plans are aligned with those.
Recognition for agriculture?
The new Bill states that in working to achieve the national climate objective,
the Government must have regard, among many other considerations, for the “special economic and social role of agriculture”. This includes “the distinct characteristics of biogenic methane”. The Climate Change Advisory Council, in producing the carbon budgets, must also by law take account of relevant scientific advice, including regarding the specificities of biogenic methane.
The Bill gives no specifics, however, as to how this is to be done, bearing in mind that biogenic methane is to be included in the carbon budget. The sectoral ceiling for agriculture and its specific climate plan of actions have yet to be published, and we do not yet know whether, as some have reported, under-delivery in one sector can be offset by over-achievement in another.
Next steps?
Once the Bill has gone through the full legislative process and is signed into law, and within the limits of the CCAC-recommended carbon budgets, the government will prepare sectoral ceilings which will determine the maximum amount of GHG emissions permitted in different sectors of the economy during a budget period. Each sector will have its list of measures itemised against a timeline to deliver the emission reductions.
To ensure that climate action does not lose momentum as the legislative process takes its course in 2021, the first year of the first carbon budget, the Government have agreed to “Interim Climate Action 2021”. So even if the Oireachtas takes its time with the legislative process, climate action will not wait, and we should find out over the coming weeks and months what will be involved for 2021 at least.
Like every other sector, agriculture will have its own ceiling, and its own list of measures.
Changing farming practices requires recognition and support
The Climate Action Bill and its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050 does not exist in a vacuum, nor does it only focus on GHG emissions.
The Ag Climatise Roadmap, published earlier this year, and the Agri-food Strategy 2030, yet to be published, follow the same direction of travel. The Nitrates derogation legislation is also subject to regular reviews, which have imposed greater restrictions on derogation farmers. At EU level, the Green Deal’s Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies are being pushed by the EU Commission to pressure the EU Council and European Parliament to incorporate stiffer sustainability and carbon reduction measures into the Common Agricultural Policy they are currently negotiating.
One of the innovations of the CAP is the delegation to member states of implementation by way of National Strategic Plans. The Department of Agriculture are currently developing the plan which will govern how CAP is implemented for Irish farmers for 2023 to 2027, and will for the first time include Eco-Schemes funded through Pillar I.
Farmers have already shown their readiness to engage with and deliver on
sustainability measures. Under the Climate Action Bill and the other programmes in the pipeline, they will be expected to make even more changes to improve the sustainability of their farming practices. And it will be vital that their action is seen to be meaningful, to put pay to the simplistic argument that the easy solution to reduce carbon emissions is to “reduce the national herd” as if there was such a thing.
While some of the practices they will be asked to adopt deliver both environmental benefits and savings, many impose additional costs, or reduce productivity, which stands to impact farmers’ livelihoods. All measures require major training and technical support to be successfully adopted, which Teagasc has already started to plan for, including through its SignPost Farm Programme. Some will also require financial support, using the same principles of climate justice which underpin the concept of “just transition” – and this must be catered for by government through national and CAP funded schemes.
An important consideration is the assessment and valuation of the “public goods” already being delivered by farmers, in terms of carbon sinks, biodiversity enrichment and water quality protection (hedgerows, grassland, managed wetland, trees, riparian edges…). Farmers must be able to claim the credit for those.
Farmers need to make their voices heard
The first public consultation process on the Bill has begun, which will close on 18th May 2021. The Government encourages not only the public, but also experts to contribute. Farmers, as experts, should engage actively to ensure the measures applied to agriculture are proportional, realistic, fair, and that they are properly supported and valued.
© Catherine Lascurettes, Cúl Dara Consultancy
