Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegates for their contributions, which were detailed and in many ways scary. Are we going to meet these heavy demands? For example, will we be able to phase out fracking and oil and gas exploration? One hears people arguing that we need to bring in as much oil as we can. The Government is attacked for not issuing enough exploration licences.

It is ironic that when Dublin City Council argued that it required additional water sources from the Shannon to secure the water supply to the city of Dublin, people campaigned against the proposal. The reason I am highlighting that is that the delegates highlighted the fact that our summers are getting hotter and, therefore, continuity of water supply is vital. Is there any argument against surplus waters being diverted from the Shannon to catchment areas, such as artificial lakes on the bogs of Offaly?

Ireland is sensitive about agricultural production as it is a large sector in the economy. We hear about the damaging environmental role that beef production plays in emissions. Is there an argument that we can offset this? There are balances between food and water security - the basics of life - and emissions. Could intensive reforestation compensate for the negative aspects of cattle ranching?

Obviously, human rights must be respected. The development of gender equality, women’s empowerment and intergenerational equality are important human rights issues. How does the debate about climate change potentially impact gender equality, for example?