Ms Tara Connolly:

Now is a unique moment of high public sentiment and support for a shift away from fossil fuels. I am not belittling the challenges when one gets down to the details. When I was on the board of SEAI about 11 years ago, an issue of constant discussion was how to get the projects built when there is local opposition not only to the wind turbines but also to the grid infrastructure. That is why NGOs pushed for those provisions that were referred in the renewables directive for active energy citizens and communities so people would be able to participate actively in, and directly benefit from, the energy transition. People today are recognising even more strongly the linkages between the fossil fuel industry, the climate crisis, energy poverty, local community destruction and horrific aggression, as we have seen.

There is huge support across Europe for strong measures to be taken to accelerate us away not just from Russian fossil fuels but all fossil fuels. In Germany, the government is resisting calls and is revealing how beholden it is to heavy industry. There is a ferocious row in that country now over its reaction, an unwillingness and blocking of a broader European acceleration away from Russian gas. There are strong public debates and strong public sentiment on these issues across Europe. We have also seen that, of course, in the reaction to the influx of refugees.

Unfortunately, other refugees may not have been so privileged to benefit from a similar reaction. It should not be left to individuals to do these things on their own. I am fortunate enough to have been able to afford to own a house large enough to house some Ukrainian refugees here. I have been able to renovate a 100-year-old house to disconnect from the gas grid and put in a heat pump. That is because I had access to knowledge through the one-stop shop here in Brussels and access to sufficient resources. That is not the same for everyone. It is important to make the ability to move away as accessible as possible.

I am mindful of the impact on those who are not yet in position to move away, as Mr. McEvilly mentioned. What happens to those who are left stuck on the gas grid? We need conversations on accelerated depreciation. These are all really important parts of having a just transition away from fossil fuels. In summary, there has never been as strong an understanding of the many interlocking crises caused by our continued reliance on fossil fuels as there is today. It is up to decision makers to seize this moment and really accelerate the process.