Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegates for their presentations. As I will have to leave to speak in the Dáil to the motion on nurses, I will not take too long.

RTÉ in its submission states the topic of climate change will be a thematic priority in its news and current affairs coverage. I ask the delegates to flesh out that point, although I do not expect them to present a thesis on the matter. There has been much discussion of children and young people and their awareness of this issue, which is greater than that of my generation or the generation after mine, and how they will play a leading role. Studies have shown the extent to which children influence adults, including a study of how the decision to buy a particular type of car is 60% attributable to what one's children say about cars. That is a very well-known fact. Therefore, the more we do to encourage children, the more it will impact on their parents, other relations and the older generation.

A protest by children against climate change will take place next Saturday outside Leinster House at 4 p.m. In spite of Deputy Heydon's comments on a protest being attended by 12 people and the RTÉ news report making it sound like it was an enormous protest, it would be a wonderful event for RTÉ to cover. Although I have not seen any coverage of it in the Irish media, there has been a strike by schoolchildren in Australia against coal mining and the coal being transported out of Australia through the Great Barrier Reef which has been seriously damaged. A young woman in Sweden has made amazing speeches on climate change. Such events should receive news coverage because they would have an impact on children and their parents.

I understand what Ms Forbes stated about the role of RTÉ, but in its written submission it points out that there is no substitute for bespoke public information campaigning. Although I agree to some extent, I disagree that it is just about changing public behaviour and individual behaviour, which is often the focus of this committee. There must be a far greater focus on changing corporate behaviour and the activities of oil companies and the coal and gas industries. I am not aware of any serious journalistic attempt by RTÉ to explore the issue of corporate behaviour in the context of climate change. That is a task it should take on.

In its submission RTÉ states broadcasting depends on the actions of the Oireachtas in making legislative change. The Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018 in my name is quite controversial and ended up in limbo following a vote of the Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment before Christmas. It is of great interest because it challenges the oil and fossil fuels industry and proposes that fossil fuels be kept in the ground and that there be no further extraction or issuing of licences to extract fossil fuels in coastal regions. However, it has been given very little coverage by RTÉ. When I have discussed it on news programmes such as the one presented by Cormac Ó hEadhra, I have been given very little time to explain it. I do not accept that it is all about academics and science. If children understand it, we can too, but we need to name it. If we do not do so, we are doing a disservice.

That brings me on to my questions for Met Éireann. I note that Mr. Moran is a permanent representative to the World Meteorological Organization. He knows that its recent report really nails the issue by identifying climate change as the problem in terms of extreme weather. Met Éireann could do far more in that regard. I was very pleased that it addressed human-induced climate change in a weather report in early January, but in its submission today it discusses weather and climate science. Is it reluctant to call it climate change science? I am sure Mr. Moran accepts the science because he is part of the scientific community. There should not be a reluctance to acknowledge it. A news report on the journal.ie website before Christmas stated Met Éireann staff had been told not to link specific extreme weather events with climate change. Met Éireann has explained that one event does not necessarily result from climate change, that it must be a series of events in order to be so identified. However, at this stage we should state clearly that a series of extreme weather events is taking place because of climate change. That should be done because we are trying to educate the public. At the heart of what Met Éireann, RTÉ and the Oireachtas are trying to do are the raising of public awareness and pointing out to the system that this is not acceptable.