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Draft edition of new climate law to be published next week

Phil Hogan says the draft heads of a Carbon Development Bill should be brought for cabinet approval next Tuesday.

THE FIRST DRAFT of proposed legislation binding Ireland to key emissions targets could be published as early as next week.

Environment minister Phil Hogan has said that the draft heads of a Carbon Development Bill are in the final stages of development and may be ready to bring to the cabinet by next Tuesday.

Hogan said the Bill was being compiled following feedback from the secretariat of the National Economic and Social Council, which has been compiled as part of a national climate policy review announced in late 2011.

“I think no-one is in any doubt about the extent of the challenge that lies ahead,” Hogan said.

Hogan made the comments during a Dáil debate yesterday on a climate Bill brought forward by independent TD Catherine Murphy.

The government said it would oppose Murphy’s Bill because it would “circumvent” the role given to the Oireachtas environment committee in compiling the new policy.

Murphy’s legislation would have required the government to cut Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions so that the total emissions by 2030 were less than 60 per cent of those recorded in 1990. By 2050, this would be lowered to 20 per cent of 1990 levels.

“If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it is a duck,” Murphy told the Dáil. “If we’re looking at massive change in our weather systems, it’s telling us something, and it’s very very expensive to overcome any of that.

There’s been some very good – and expensive – work done by the OPW in overcoming some of the problems, but we can’t keep doing that – we have to prevent it – and preventing it means we’ve got to deal with these obligations and see ourselves as part of the international community in doing it.

Murphy’s legislation – the Energy Security and Climate Change Bill 2012, which borrows aspects of a draft Bill from the previous government – will face a Dáil vote on Tuesday, when it will almost certainly be defeated.

Read: Schwarzenegger: Environmentalism should be ‘hip and sexy’

More: Recycling project turning cigarette butts into plastic

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27 Comments
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    Mute Nigel O Keeffe
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    Apr 21st 2013, 5:35 PM

    try the stress of not having a job..i know which i’d prefer

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    Mute Gerry Ryan deG
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    Apr 21st 2013, 8:37 PM

    Identify the person responsible for the stress and arrange to make them feel your pain. Lol

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    Mute Lieutenant Worf
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    Apr 21st 2013, 8:45 PM

    How understanding are GPs of stress in the workplace. I know someone hesitant to even approach her GP but is stressed to the gills from work.

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    Mute Kim Keoghan
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    Apr 21st 2013, 10:31 PM

    I’ve found my gp very helpful in this regard , very approachable thank god , tell your friend to go for it , any decent gp should recognise the signs of stress

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    Mute John Quinn
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    Apr 21st 2013, 11:22 PM

    So funny reading this. I could almost visualise myself in work and anticipate the reaction of me trying to tell my boss no, I’m too busy! But some really good ideas in here that are simple to try. I’m going to try it out tomorrow. Hope it works! If not, there’s always Xanax! ;)

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    Mute Helplink
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    Apr 21st 2013, 7:53 PM

    Check out Helplink’s low cost stress workshops in Dublin, Limerick and Galway – http://www.helplink.ie/group-workshops

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    Mute gingerman
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    Apr 21st 2013, 6:15 PM

    Get paid for stating the obvious

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    Mute john o'connor
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    Apr 21st 2013, 6:37 PM

    Obvious to you maybe – I liked the piece and believe at least one person who reads it will find it helpful.

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    Mute Damocles
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    Apr 21st 2013, 6:44 PM

    Bite it back and take it out on strangers.

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    Mute Clodagh O'Donovan
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    Apr 22nd 2013, 12:39 AM

    Great article. It’s good to be reminded that we can do something (several things) to help ourselves cope with stressful situations. Thank you for this.

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    Mute Jay Christo
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    Apr 21st 2013, 7:53 PM

    Article could have been written in one word “Diazepam”

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    Mute Gerry McCormack
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    Apr 22nd 2013, 6:43 AM

    I got stressed reading this. How will I find time to meditate? Switch if the phone? Just thinking about what this guy suggests stresses me. I’m off for a walk to clear my mind

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    Mute R Neuville
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    Apr 30th 2013, 12:17 PM

    Great suggestion: Get creative. “Tap into your inner kid”.
    Try software …. you could discover how brilliant and creative you are.

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