New Climate Action Plan expected to be approved today

Fewer on street car parking spaces and a 20% reduction in car journeys are targets set out in the new Climate Action Plan.

Ministers will be asked to approve cross-sectoral targets at a meeting this afternoon.

Ministers will be asked to leave their phones and devices outside the Cabinet room this afternoon under a new rule implemented by returning Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, prompted by new security advice.

As well as reshuffling junior ministers Cabinet will sign off on the updated Climate Action Plan.

It’s the document which sets out how Ireland plans to get to a 51% emissions reduction by 2030.

Targets include reducing the number of car journeys by 20%, having one in three cars be electric by 2030, and a cut of up to 10% in the number of cattle in Ireland.

It aims to increase the amount of forest planted to 8,000 hectares a year by 2023, as well as establishing a new green energy tariff to encourage people to use renewable’s.

Government sources say there is no specific commitment to congestion charges in the plan.

There is however plans to reduce staff parking in the public sector, increase car parking fees and reduce on street parking to prioritise public transport.

But sources say this will ONLY be done in areas well served by alternative public transport options, and won’t leave people without a means of getting around.

A source said, for example, somewhere like Letterkenny would be treated very differently to Dun Laoghaire.

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