If proposed legislation is introduced, it will not be possible to buy new petrol or diesel cars in Ireland in 10 years’ time.

The sale of new petrol and diesel cars in Ireland will be stopped by 2030 under legislation outlined in the Draft General Scheme of the Climate Action (Amendment) Bill 2019, published by Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton on Monday. Under the proposed legislation, it will not be possible to register any new car which runs on fossil fuel from 2030. It also proposes that NCTs will not be granted on cars which run on fossil fuel from 2045 onwards. A commitment to introduce the legislation had been made in the National Development Plan and Climate Action Plan and plans will be developed further in consultation with the relevant departments and submitted to Government for approval later this year. Also included in the draft published on Monday was a commitment to enshrine in law an approach outlined in the Climate Action Plan, including targets such as:

• Establishing a 2050 emissions reduction target in law
• Making the adoption of carbon budgets a legal requirement
• Strengthening the role of the Climate Action Council (which will replace the existing Climate Change Advisory Council) in recommending the appropriate climate budget and policies
• Requiring the Government to set a decarbonisation target range for each sector. The Minister with primary responsibility for each sector will be accountable for delivering the relevant actions to meet the sectoral target and for reporting annually on the delivery of their actions and the achievement of sectoral emission targets
• Giving the Oireachtas a central role in the setting of the carbon budget and overseeing progress to delivery
• Establishing that the Climate Action Plan shall be updated annually, with actions in every sector.

Confirming that the Climate Action Bill is priority legislation for the Government in the new Dáil term, Minister Bruton said: “We must act now and leave a better, healthier, more sustainable Ireland for future generations. Accountability is the key to making progress. “We have a very short time to act. We must put in place a strong framework to ensure every sector, every policy, every decision delivers on the transformation that is required. “Today represents a hugely important step in putting in place the necessary arrangements to achieve this objective.” You can read more on the Government’s Climate Action Plan here.