Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Forgive me; I have to dash out as soon as I wrap up this contribution. We have a strong polluting element in Ireland. We have a duty to change our ways and mitigate the disastrous and existential effects of the climate emergency. We are here to focus on wind energy, as the Minister outlined, and there are three ways we can do this: committing to the "polluter pays" principle; co-opting wind energy into State ownership; and ensuring a just transition for the workers affected.

The "polluter pays" principle would require net polluters to contribute towards damages for the countries most harmed by their actions. This would hold Ireland accountable and force the Government's hand into investing in the likes of wind energy to avoid further deterioration in the environment. Investment in wind energy is what we are here to talk about but there is a sense that a huge amount of it is being done by the private sector. A previous speaker referred to the ESB and the work it is doing in that area but people are talking about wind farms popping up in their areas and they are being built by the private sector. It is important that we ensure, with a public good such as energy supply, that as much of our energy that is supplied or provided by wind be taken into ownership by the State. As has been mentioned, the ESB is doing something on that. Whether it is fully within the ESB or a different State body - I am not too precious about that - we have to ensure the resources are accessible to everyone, not just those who can pay premiums. In the case of a crisis in supply or distribution, that would mean the State could act swiftly without a profit incentive to resolve the issue. Amid the cost-of-living crisis, bolstered by energy companies exploiting increased fuel costs, a model of State-owned energy and renewable sources is the only sensible way forward when we are vulnerable to shortages.

Wind energy can also reduce our reliance on foreign energy sources and be a pathway towards self-sustaining energy supplies. When I was in Iceland, a taxi driver told us about how they were entirely self-sufficient in their energy and he could not believe that Ireland, an island off the edge of Europe, was not. There are other island countries that are doing that. It is also risky to put our energy supply in the hands of companies whose profit motive is their only means of survival. State-owned wind supply offers a pathway to a more accessible energy industry where certain people are not exploited for profit and energy can be supplied at cost. This is not a new idea. The Labour Party and other parties have been long-standing advocates of public energy supplies and vehement supporters of workers within these industries. In 2016, my colleague and former Labour Party Deputy, Willie Penrose, suggested a referendum on publicly owned energy utilities. Given the energy crisis across Europe caused by the war in Ukraine, I would be interested to see what the public appetite would be around publicly owned energy utilities, including wind and renewables. State-owned ventures in energy would also reduce the amount paid out in fuel allowance that ends up in the pocket of private energy companies that are hiking up the prices.

These massive changes in energy supply and fossil fuel non-proliferation will involve a complete restructuring of our energy utilities. It is important that I mention the workers involved in these industries. It is essential that we implement a just transition, including a job guarantee and retraining schemes to bring workers from the fossil fuel industry into the wind and renewable sectors. A previous speaker referenced the ESB in their area and what was happening there. The policy of the Labour Party, and I am sure many others, on wind energy is driven by a passion for environmental regeneration and protection. We want to see a timely transition towards the use of wind energy but in order to do this effectively we need a commitment. These three things - the "polluter pays" principle, State ownership of utilities and a just transition for workers - all go hand in hand.