Ursula von der Leyen: How the Green Deal and climate change will affect Ireland

In a question and answer session with Pádraig Hoare of the Irish Examiner, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen lays out the vision for tackling climate change, the Green Deal, and how countries like Ireland will be affected.

The commission president spoke about the Green Deal, what it means for Ireland and its people, the ravages of climate change. Picture: AP/Francisco Seco

When the Irish Examiner was invited to engage with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on the climate crisis and the EU's response, reporter Pádraig Hoare enlisted the help of a range of climate, energy, and biodiversity experts to frame probing questions.

They included University College Cork lecturer and researcher in energy/economy/environment/engineering, Dr Hannah Daly; research fellow at the MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy and the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at UCC, Dr Paul Deane; and the Irish Wildlife Trust campaign officer Padraic Fogarty.

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The commission president spoke about the Green Deal, what it means for Ireland and its people, the ravages of climate change, and biodiversity issues, following the stark report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that humans have been the main driver of exacerbating the crisis in recent decades.

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Question: The majority of Ireland’s heating and transport is fuelled by oil, and the Green Deal is proposing to bring these sectors into an emissions trading scheme, which will increase the cost to households. How will the Green Deal ensure that people who can’t afford an electric vehicle (EV) or to retrofit their home not be unfairly penalised, risking more energy poverty?

Answer: The principle behind the European Green Deal is to stop global warming and develop a new growth strategy, based on a decarbonised circular economy that provides jobs and opportunities for all, while reducing emissions and preserving nature. Our utmost priority is to bring the benefits of this green transition to all, as quickly and fairly as possible.

Let’s not forget why we have to act now. We simply cannot afford the rising costs of climate change. Extreme weather events are happening all over the globe, more and more often. 

The Blessem district of Erftstadt in Germany during last month's floods. Photo: Rhein-Erft-Kreis via AP

This year we have seen a deadly tornado in Czechia that destroyed 2,000 houses, devastating floods in Belgium and Germany, costing hundreds of lives, and dreadful fires in Cyprus and other countries. Poorer citizens, who cannot afford to just move or rebuild, are always hit the hardest.

Therefore, the green transition has to be fair and socially just. That’s why we propose to provide compensation and support to more vulnerable citizens. Our €72bn Social Climate Fund will support people on low incomes and will facilitate investments in clean technologies. The goal is precisely to cut bills for vulnerable households and small businesses. The fund will support citizens in Ireland to finance zero-emission heating or cooling systems, to install solar panels on their houses or to buy a cleaner car. Transport and energy must be affordable for all.

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Q: Along the same lines, what does the Green Deal mean for jobs? Will people lose their jobs as we move away from fossil fuels? We have seen the dire political fallout across the Atlantic as populist candidates make promises that traditional industries like coalmining will remain in situ or even recover, seducing voters with these platforms. Is there a real chance of medium-to-long-term political upheaval, threatening the bloc's future, if the Just Transition is not carried out correctly and fairly?

A: The European Green Deal is about creating jobs and opportunities for all - it is projected to generate one million green jobs in the EU by 2030 and two million green jobs by 2050. It is about enabling citizens, businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive in the economy of the future. 

The aim is to create new markets, new jobs, new products and to grow, innovate and unleash creativity so that everyone can seize the opportunities made available by the shift towards a low-carbon economy. We want a just transition - our whole European Green Deal package aims at a fair distribution of efforts and of support between Member States, to leave no country and no region behind.

The EU budget will help. Ireland is set to receive €13bn over the coming years, from various programmes, including NextGenerationEU. This will provide significant investment for the greening and decarbonisation of the economy. 

For example, it will support the Midlands, the region most affected by Ireland’s transition from peat, as well as the large-scale energy renovation of buildings throughout the country, and the electrification of the commuter railway network in Cork.

NextGenerationEU will also boost climate innovation in Ireland, by investing in research and skills. This, of course, will benefit of Irish businesses. It will promote emission-reducing technologies and help create the jobs of the future.

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Q: Is it fair that we in the EU are asked to do so much when countries like China will continue polluting?

A: First, I believe that the rest of the world is also waking up to the facts: the cost of not acting against global warming is rising dramatically everywhere. We have recently seen heavy rain and flooding in China, but also deadly temperatures in Canada and melting permafrost in Siberia, to name a few examples. 

China is also vulnerable to climate change and knows it needs to tackle it. The fight against climate change is now a truly global effort.

With the European Green Deal, Europe is leading the way. If others follow our lead, the world will be able to keep warming below 1.5C. We are encouraging all other countries that have ambitious climate goals to prepare with a clear roadmap on how to achieve them. That is how we will approach the UN’s COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this autumn.

To encourage the rest of the world to set a price on carbon and to invest in climate-friendly production, we proposed a carbon border adjustment mechanism. Carbon must have a price everywhere. Europe’s industry and businesses are now investing heavily in climate-friendly technologies. 

It would not be fair if companies from third countries undermine these efforts by flooding our EU internal market with cheap but carbon-intensive products. Companies should pay a price for the carbon they bring to Europe. However, when producers from outside the EU come to our market with clean products, they won’t have to pay anything.

Smoke and powder dust pollution from steel mills in China. "We are encouraging all other countries that have ambitious climate goals to prepare with a clear roadmap on how to achieve them." Photo: iStock

Finally, the reality – and the strength of the EU – is that we are the world’s biggest single market. We have to stay competitive and the good news is that our industry is moving forward. 

European enterprises are already driving the green transition. They are developing clean new technologies and products. In doing so, they create sustainable, local and well-paid jobs across Europe. 

The transition brings tremendous opportunities for them to establish markets for sustainable, clean products, worldwide. They have understood that the European Green Deal is their chance to get ahead of their global competitors and get ‘first-mover’ advantage. 

The quicker we move, the bigger the demand will be across the world for pioneering technologies created in Europe. The EU is a global leader in climate action but we know that a global effort is needed to tackle climate change and build more resilient, sustainable economies: that is why we are working to mobilise the global effort.

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Q: Ireland has among the most ambitious targets for non-Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) emissions reductions, and has by far the highest share of emissions from agriculture in the EU. (Note: Non-ETS emissions are from homes, small businesses and farms) How does the Green Deal propose to support an equitable transition for farmers, given that a reduction in agricultural exports - beef and dairy products – is likely to be needed to meet the target?

A: As I said, the green transition must be fair to all citizens and businesses. It is for Ireland to determine how it will meet its commitments under the Effort Sharing Regulation. Of course, there are challenges facing agriculture but there is a lot of research and innovation on how to farm in a climate-smart way.

There are ways in which Ireland can cut emissions in its livestock sector, and not just by reducing the number of animals.

It is also important to create opportunities for income diversification for farmers. Across Europe, a shift to a sustainable food system can bring environmental, health and social benefits. It can ultimately make our farms more competitive globally.

That is why the reformed Common Agricultural Policy will align agriculture with the European Green Deal, including by increasing EU support to help farmers achieve the green transition. 

New eco-schemes will reward farmers for climate and environmentally-friendly practices and for animal welfare improvements, for example. I am confident that Ireland – and its farmers – can lead the way on this.

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Q: Regarding overfishing across the EU, there was a legal deadline that this should end by 2020. Member states, including Ireland, do not seem to be complying. Is the commission willing to take a harder line with the member states for lack of compliance with EU environmental law? Is it willing to beef up the enforcement arm of the commission to hold the members to account for their broken promises?

A: EU fisheries are moving towards more sustainability. Our aim is to ensure that this transition delivers a healthy and environmentally friendly EU food system while also safeguarding the livelihoods of fishing and coastal communities.

In the North-East Atlantic, we have made good progress through management of stocks under the principle of “maximum sustainable yield”. The idea is simple: fishing crews can only take from the sea the amount of fish that does not compromise the capacity of stocks to regenerate. 

A woman wearing a mask to protect herself from pollution in Beijing in 2015. Photo: AP/Andy Wong

In other areas, for instance, in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, more efforts are needed in the coming years to make fishing more sustainable. Later this year, we will propose further measures for fishing opportunities in 2022, to consolidate these efforts. 

With regard to controls, we are indeed working on a revised fisheries control system, which would allow Member States to step up enforcement and compliance. I hope we will find an agreement on this with EU Member States and the European Parliament soon.