I bring news of shame to our country; I do not know if that is calm. A report, the Climate Change Performance Index, has just been published. It was produced by the leading NGOs dealing with this issue across the world. The process relating to the report has been running for a long time. The report indicates that Ireland is seen as the worst country in Europe in terms of climate action and is ranked 49th out of the 60 countries assessed. This is a huge issue for this country and its future, reputation and direction. When the Taoiseach assumed office, he said that he wanted to make climate action a priority. I will explain why this is not true. It is not happening across a range of different areas. Climate Action Network, one of the authors of the report, said at the conference in Bonn which I attended earlier this week that when it comes to the European talks about climate, Ireland is nowhere to be seen except playing a negative role to try to hinder positive actions. That is what is happening in the European process under the Taoiseach's Government.

The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment has just concluded a renewables strategy. In it, he says we should have no ambition to increase renewable power between now and 2030. That is the official Government position. We think we could easily accommodate an increase of 75% in this area, which would send us up the international league tables. If we did that, we might start holding on to some of the Apple investments that are now reading the tea leaves and heading off to Denmark - not just because our planning process delayed its project but because it senses that this country is not serious about the matter. That is a significant issue for the development of rural Ireland, including Mayo and Galway.

The position regarding transport is the same.

The Government has just published the national planning framework which states that we want to cut emissions but is doing absolutely nothing about it. It is all roads and the same old model of sprawl and growth outwards. That is what it is actually doing. The Citizens' Assembly did a wonderful job looking at the issue. The sense of dismay in the assembly at the lack of leadership was absolutely tangible. It supported the recommendation from Alan Matthews that we should turn Irish agriculture towards a better and more profitable system. The Taoiseach's Ministers immediately debunked it and said "No". Last week, I asked the Minister for Finance what price he applies to carbon in the projects in his new capital plan. He said €7 a tonne when the better people, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank, have set it at €40 and €50 a tonne. In every area the Government is failing in climate action and it is starting to come home to roost where we are shamed in the world. Our green reputation is in tatters. The Government is spending a fortune on Origin Green branding but is doing nothing about it in reality. What will change? What leadership does the Taoiseach intend to show?

The report the Deputy refers to has only been published in the last hour or so. Neither I nor my staff have had an opportunity to read it. I am informed it is a ranking assessment published by three NGOs. It is not an official report and has no status other than as a commentary on individual countries' climate policies. In this respect, the commentary, while it purports to assess countries' national and international climate policies, provides little information on the basis for the compiling of the ranking. With regard to Ireland's performance against emission targets for 2020 under the EU effort-sharing decision, the Government has been very upfront that Ireland expects to miss these targets. Ireland will not be alone among EU member states in that regard. The latest projections of greenhouse gas emissions by the Environmental Protection Agency indicate Ireland's emissions in sectors covered by our EU targets could be between 4% and 6% below 2005 levels.

The projected shortfall in our targets in 2020 reflects both the constrained investment capacity over the past decade due to the economic crisis and the extremely challenging nature of the target. It is now accepted that Ireland's 2020 target was not consistent with what would have been achievable on an EU-wide cost-effective basis. Notwithstanding this projected shortfall, Ireland's first statutory national mitigation plan, which the Government published in July 2017, provides a framework to guide investment decisions by Government in domestic measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plan sets out what is being done and what it is planned to do to further the national transition objectives set out in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act. This first plan will not provide a complete roadmap to achieve the national transition objectives. It begins the process of the development of medium to long-term options to ensure we are well-positioned to take the necessary actions in the next few decades.

The national planning framework is a draft. I do not accept the Deputy's characterisation of it. The national planning framework goes against continued sprawl. It argues for a major increase in population in our existing cities in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. It calls for a population increase of 40% to 50% in Limerick, for example, a city in which there has been virtually no population growth in recent years. Why does it call for that? It is because it makes sense from a planning and climate change point of view to have more people living more densely in urban settlements. It means less commuting and driving and more people walking and using public transport.

If the Taoiseach was serious, he would heed the recommendation of the Citizens' Assembly that the spending on transport, which is currently two thirds roads to one third public transport, should be reversed the other way. What the Taoiseach just said might turn into reality, but it is fiction. The Taoiseach constantly accuses other Members of the House of not being up to speed on the brief and of reading out what they have done. The Taoiseach has just read out the public service response to this. There is nothing new or different in it. There is no ambition. I thought the Taoiseach meant what he said on the first day and was going to do something about it. There is nothing happening.

The Taoiseach said this is just an unofficial report but they are experts in the field who are reading what anyone could read, which is that our emissions are rising and that we are in Europe negotiating to get lower emissions targets. The Taoiseach is always blaming high targets. It will come home to roost because this is the new, clean industrial revolution that the world is moving towards and we are not. We are selling ourselves as a green nation. We can only do that for so long before the reality catches up with us. The Government needs to change the national planning framework. The mitigation plan is nowhere near good enough. It will be legally challenged and that challenge will be successful because we signed up to Paris and we are doing nothing about it.

The Taoiseach needs to start changing things.

I appreciate the Deputy's passion on this and his comments. He did not ask a question. As he is speaking about a report that was published in the last hour, I am afraid I can add no more. This is Leaders' Questions, by the way.