The issue of the language has not been addressed. The issue that was identified by Professor Sweeney, Dr. Jackson and many others has not been addressed. The Bill states: "The first two carbon budgets proposed by the Advisory Council shall provide for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions such that the total amount of annual greenhouse gas emissions in the year ending on 31 December 2030 is 51 per cent less than the annual greenhouse gas emissions reported for the year ending on 31 December 2018, as set out in th…

I move amendment No. 19: In page 7, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “ ‘nature based solutions’ means locally adapted, resource efficient, costeffective and systemic interventions supported by nature, which simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits incorporating more diverse, nature and natural features and processes into cities, landscapes and seascapes;”. Amendment No. 19 inserts a definition of "nature based solutions". This is based on amendments tabled in the Dáil. It …

I believe that previous amendment came from Deputy Whitmore and her previous engagement with the Minister. This amendment is designed to complement that. However, I am willing to withdraw it and examine how it fits with how it is referenced in the NORA Bill, which is a slightly narrower use of nature-based solutions. I reserve the right to reintroduce the amendment on Report Stage.

I wish to speak briefly to the amendment to ensure that we get the chance to discuss it on Report Stage. I have ten or 15 amendments that do the same thing. They ensure that when a reference is made to a Minister of the Government, it is construed as also including a reference to the Government. The Minister will be aware that it is also a response to the fact that his Department argued a case.

The reason I am speaking to it is because I have a number of amendments-----

Pardon?

No, it relates to this amendment. I want to signal that in relation to my-----

I am quite confident in the relevance of what I am saying, which is to note that this amendment is a single amendment which does the work of about 15 amendments of mine. If the Government is able to accept this amendment when it is reintroduced on Report Stage, it will save me from having to move my 15 amendments. Senator Bacik's experience has allowed her to draft a single amendment that does the work of around ten separate amendments that I have drafted. That might be useful information for the Government to have…

I move amendment No. 24: In page 7, after line 38, to insert the following: “(2) No remedy or relief by way of compensation shall be available to investors with respect to actions taken to comply with any provision of this Act or any obligation or duty created thereunder.”. This amendment relates to one of the most problematic aspects of the Bill as a whole. It is an aspect that we did not have the opportunity to discuss at the Oireachtas joint committee because it was added in subsequently. It is an aspect which I…

I will proceed to speak to the amendments which are in order. As well as the individual damages that are done through this, we also see a great disjoint between how we treat the consequences for individuals in their lives in respect of compensation and damages, and the consequences for companies. I am speaking to my amendment, which relates to the compensations available for investors. In the framing of limited liability, in the world of insurance companies, individuals can become just numbers but they are people. …

I am not asking the Minister to put liability into the Bill. I am asking him not to put a limitation of liability into the Bill. I note that the previous climate Bill did not have a limitation of liability clause. It is, therefore, perfectly possible to have climate legislation that does not include a limitation of liability clause. It is not standard in this practice. It is a decision and a choice to insert a limitation of liability. The reason it is important is that it represents a number of areas whereby instea…

Will the Minister clarify whether he believes that there are no circumstances in which a policy decision would be made in respect of climate with a view towards potential exposure to claims for compensation or, indeed, legitimate expectations?

To be clear, I am not only speaking about judicial review. I am speaking also of the other forms of arbitration that it has been proposed to introduce. The investment court systems are arbitration courts. As Senator Warfield outlined, we know in regard to the Energy Charter Treaty that climate legislation in France has been targeted by claims for compensation. This led to the dilution of some legislation and the actions it provided for. This issue is, therefore, highly relevant. It is not a hypothetical situation. …

I will come back to this because it is key-----

If other Senators have indicated, I will be happy to allow them to come in at this point. However, I wish to contribute again on this amendment, as is my right.

The aspect I am addressing in my amendment relates to what is not in the Bill. Opening up this topic was, again, a choice by the Government which decided to include this new section. It would perhaps require less debate now if it had been in the original Bill sent to the climate action committee but it was not. This is a late addition by the Government in its new draft of the Bill. I am speaking not so much to what is in the Bill as to what is not. While there is a limitation of liability in respect of citizens in …

I move amendment No. 25: In page 8, line 7, to delete “climate neutral economy” and substitute “completely decarbonised economy”.

I move amendment No. 26: In page 8, line 7, after “economy” to insert “and society”.

I move amendment No. 27: In page 8, line 22, after “1992,” to insert “including the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in respect of that objective,”. This amendment seeks to make it explicitly clear that in considering the UNFCCC, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in respect of the UNFCCC objectives shall apply. As I understand it, the section to be amended sets out what the Government's actions must be consistent with. At the moment, the Bill sets out that the Govern…

Will the Minister specifically address the question of greatest and highest possible ambition and the principle of progression? As I understand it, those are not included in those sections of the Paris Agreement that have been pulled out at the moment.