Fine Gael promises 70% renewable electricity by 2030; €8.6bn for transport
has put it up to the Green Party to show how its proposals for a radical reduction in carbon emissions can be achieved over the next decade and to outline the implications for the economy including the cost of living.have called for a 7 per cent a year reduction in carbon emissions, rather than the 2 per cent figure currently in place in line with the Government’s climate action plan targets.
It strongly defended plans – dismissed as unrealistic – to have 1 million electric vehicles on Irish roads by the end of decade, adding “the resistance of motor industry will have to change”. If in government, Mr Varadkar said Fine Gael would “ring fence 10 per cent of all carbon tax revenue to deliver for cycling and active travel ”; an investment of €600 million. A five-year plan to at least double the number cycling on a daily basis to work would be published shortly after coming into office – the Green Party has been calling for similar measures in recent years.
Mr Varadkar confirmed carbon taxes would increase by €6 per tonne annually up to 2030, while he said the recent Budget increase meant Fine Gael were prepared to take radical action and had “bit the bullet on carbon tax”. A portion of the carbon tax revenue would be used for enhanced rural transport, while he believed the more people see re-investment in climate action for their communities, the more “it helps to bring the country along”.
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