Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Few things we do in this House will be as fundamental as addressing and facing up to the challenge of climate change. It is, quite literally, an existential issue for life on this planet, not just for the human race. Biodiversity loss has been highlighted by several speakers already.

We have to grasp this issue and challenge. We cannot simply sit on the fence or we cop out on this issue. It is not right to say we do not have the information and we will leave that to someone else. We all have a responsibility to act on this. The climate action plan is living up to that responsibility. It is driving forward the changes we need. It will be hard and difficult but the cross-cutting and cross-departmental nature of the plan really highlights the ambition as well as the complexity of this challenge we will have to address.

It is important, however, this is done in a fair and just way. The phrase, "just transition", is used repeatedly through the plan. We need to focus on just transition, on what it means and what it is, rather than it becoming jargon or a simple buzzword to quote.

If we look at the nature of the climate action plan in addressing the issue of fuel poverty through retrofitting homes, it shows we can address both climate and the challenge of decarbonisation while also addressing the challenge of fuel poverty. By building better, in the right way, we can address housing, homelessness and climate all at the one time. That cuts back to the complexity of this problem which is reflected in the complexity and comprehensiveness of this plan. It is fundamentally important that the element of social justice, alongside climate justice, not be lost. That must be the focus to deliver a climate plan that is fair for all.

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