A series of new amendments to the climate bill will make the legal changes necessary for both carbon emissions and, crucially, carbon sinks to be recognised in the future carbon budgets.

Speaking in the Seanad on Friday morning, where the bill is in its final stages, Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan said the Government and Attorney General had consulted on the steps needed to take account of an earlier amendment.

As reported in the Irish Farmers Journal on Thursday, the term “carbon removals” was added to the definition of carbon budgets in the bill and, although widely welcomed by the agriculture sector, caused consternation among officials.

The Government’s latest change creates enabling legislation which will set out how both carbon removals and carbon sinks will be measured.

Sinks and reductions

Minister Ryan said the latest change will give the “ability to account for removals as well as emissions, sinks as well as emission reductions, to give the Government, the Minister, the power to regulate for that and particularly for the evolving [carbon] accounting rules, because they are constantly evolving with regards to how they’re measured, how they are accounted for and how do we then, in my mind, generate income streams for the farming communities from some of the nature-based solutions that will sinks for carbon and other greenhouse gases”.

He said the amended legislation would give clarity on how the minister would be able to regulate for evolving accounting mechanisms and have regard to the EU regulations and any changes in those regulations.

“It will give the minister the ability, through regulation, to designate how those carbon budgets are accounted for, both the emissions reductions and the carbon sinks.”

'Only right and proper'

The change was welcomed by Senator Eugene Murphy, who said it was “only right and proper” that they agricultural community’s role was acknowledged.

Senator Tim Lombard also welcomed the amendment, saying it brought clarity as to the ministerial ability to set actual carbon removal targets and would work well for the agricultural community.

He described the last week as “an eye opener” on the level of frustration among the agricultural community about how the bill had been put forward in recent weeks.

We have a sector that has, basically, a third of the emissions, and they feel they have not been involved in this debate

“We have a sector that has, basically, a third of the emissions, and they feel they have not been involved in this debate,” adding that they felt they “didn’t have a say, didn’t have a voice” until it reached the Seanad.

“That’s something that needs to be worked on Minister,” he said, addressing Eamon Ryan. “They want that engagement and need that engagement with Government.”