Thread by @diarmuidtorney

I've been looking in more detail at the #governance arrangements of @RichardbrutonTD's #ClimatePlan2019 today, incl. comparing the published plan, the leaked April draft version & @1Hildegarde @OireachtasNews #JOCCA report

Warning: long technical thread for #climate nerds like me. I'm looking at you @jmcurtin @CAugustenborg @Paulkenny79 @BOGallachoir @EnvJusticeUCC @homebirdnow @SadhbhO @Jerry_MacEvilly @davidhealyv @MiseAnja @climpeter @OisinCoghlan @sarah_wien @SimonMatti @tdlegge @averchenkova

1/ #Governance framework of #ClimatePlan2019 has rightly been praised. It is much stronger than 2015 #climatelaw. Those with too much time on their hands can read my 2017 @Env_Pol article on the process that led to the 2015 law
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…

2/ Centerpiece of #ClimatePlan2019 #governance is #2050 target & carbon budgets. There's been quite a bit of commentary on equivocation on the #2050 target, but less discussion on carbon budgets. It's true that the Plan draws on UK climate act, but there are important differences

3/ Under UK CCA carbon budgets are set by govt (NB not by the CCC, but following its advice) 12 yrs in advance. Logic is that it's easier to for govt to bind future govts rather than itself. These targets are adopted through secondary legislation & so can't easily be changed

4/ #JOCCA report recommended carbon budget model but was a bit unclear on time dimension: 2030 target to be adopted in 2020, with 21-25, 26-30 & 31-35 budgets to be adopted thereafter. But unclear re period after 2035. UKCCA logic would suggest should be adopted in mid-2020s

5/ #ClimatePlan2019 broadly follows #JOCCA recommendations on carbon budgets, but with subtle yet important difference. In my reading crucial line is "In advance of each five-year period". Suggests that the whole process of setting carbon budgets will be repeated every 5 years.

6/ That would be fine except that what seems to be repeated every 5 years is the setting of all 3 budgets (covering 15 years). Implication is that 5 years from now the 26-30 & 31-35 budgets can be amended.

7/ Maybe such flexibility is useful, but it's not how the UK climate act works. It's important to understand that what #ClimatePlan2019 is proposing on carbon budgets differs in an important way from the UK climate act.

8/ This won't matter for first round of carbon budgets in 2020, but it will matter in 5 & 10 years time. Important to get this right, or at least understand the difference, in planned Climate Action (Amendment) Bill, which presumably will be scrutinised by @1Hildegarde & #JOCCA

If you've made it this far without falling asleep / losing the will to live, well done! Your reward is the following extra nuggets I spotted along the way, of varying levels of obscurity

1/ #ClimatePlan2019 doesn't seem to include important #JOCCA recommendations re Climate Action Council: extra resources (only "additional powers"), own 3-year block funding, access to govt expertise & data, and greater diversity of membership

2/ There are also interesting differences between the leaked April draft version of the #ClimatePlan2019 & final version published this week. April draft provided for "expanded secretariat" for CAC, which was dropped in final version

3/ April draft had important weakness wrt proposing carbon budgets, which in that draft were to be proposed by Minister & then subject to advice from CAC. Final #ClimatePlan2019 is significantly stronger: CAC first makes recommendation, to which Minister responds (like in UK)

4/ In April version @SEAI_ie was to be given broader remit (beyond energy) and renamed "Climate Action and Sustainable Energy Authority". This was dropped in the final version

5/ April draft provided 2 options for strengthening @OireachtasNews role, alongside standing committee: either "parliamentary commissioner" or "climate action oversight office". Final version went for the latter. Any thoughts @SadhbhO @davidhealyv @Jerry_MacEvilly @davitter?