Ms Maude Cullen-Mouze:

Good morning, everyone. I thank the Joint Committee on Climate Action and the Environment, without which this opportunity to speak today would not be possible. I am 16 and will be speaking from a perspective different from most, that of a young islander. I live on Clare Island, a small island with around 150 inhabitants off the coast of west Mayo.

As islanders, we all have an acute awareness of the weather. We are almost completely reliant on ferries for getting on and off our islands. For example, to speak before the committee today I took the ferry yesterday afternoon and I will take the last ferry back this evening. If I miss the ferry today I will have to wait until tomorrow morning for the next one.

At this time of year, in the summer, there are many boats and they all operate on schedule. In the late autumn, early spring and throughout the winter, however, such a journey could be much more complicated. Islanders who are intending to travel anxiously pore over weather charts. For important appointments, going to the mainland the day before is the best course of action. Atlantic storms are simply part of life on the Atlantic coast but they are becoming more frequent and intense, as noted by older island residents. Clare Island, along with Inis Oírr, is one of the few islands that does not have a safe all-weather pier. I have seen weeks pass without a single ferry running on time to the scheduled pier. Everything that, and everyone who, leaves or enters the island has to do so by boat, with the exception of medical emergencies. When boats are disrupted our entire lives can be disrupted.

It is important to note that the problems facing small islands now will not remain confined to small islands. After all, Ireland is an island and a rather small one. Small islands such as Clare Island are but microcosms of the macrocosm that is Ireland. As a nation we must import everything that we do not produce ourselves. The emissions from flying in produce are not compatible with the carbon-neutral economy Ireland intends to become. Shipping by sea is also fuel heavy. Food security has become an increasingly pressing concern recently. When and if supply chains are disrupted Ireland, as an island, will be very vulnerable. Efforts must be made to support and encourage local production to maximise self sufficiency.

We are dependent on fossil fuels, the very things that are fuelling this crisis. To my knowledge, all island ferries in Ireland use fossil fuels in their engines. Alternatives such as electricity and hydrogen are being piloted in Denmark and Scotland, respectively. Ferries will always be required as the islands are accessible only by sea and by air. If these alternatives prove viable, investment would be needed to support ferry operators to make the switch away from diesel and towards alternatives.

Intense weather does not just pose a problem to boats or islanders. Arranmore suffers from a severe risk of flooding. Harbours and piers are at risk on all islands. A total of 40% of Irish people reside within 5 km of the coast and thus are extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels. More than 23,000 properties will be at risk in the next 30 years in Dublin alone. Furthermore, the sea is rising faster than predicted, with double the global average sea level rise observed in Dublin and Cork.

While mountainous islands may fare better in weathering the rising sea levels, the existing infrastructure of piers and harbours will not. According to Climate Central's predictions the current trajectory of warming will mean that Roonagh Pier, which is used by Clare Island and Inishturk, will be completely submerged. There was a recent consultation with islanders about the pier at which rising sea levels were not mentioned. This was a shocking blind spot considering the pier is projected to be below annual flood levels in a decade. Rising sea levels also pose a threat to seemingly unrelated issues such as drinking water. On Inis Oírr, the island's water reservoirs were flooded, contaminating the fresh water with salt and making it unsuitable for drinking.

Thankfully, mitigation options are available for combatting the effects and root causes of climate change. Rainwater can be collected for drinking water, agriculture revolutionised and transport decarbonised. A recycling initiative has been set up with great success on Inis Mór. No glass leaves the island as it is processed and recycled locally, providing local employment and cutting carbon emissions. Furthermore, the islands and all of Ireland have the opportunity to provide ample energy in the form of wind waiting to be harnessed as renewable energy. Food waste can be composted or used as biofuel to provide energy as it decomposes. Community-led projects and initiatives are proving successful all over the world. The solutions to decarbonise our economy exist. All that is required is the political will and the hard work of making it happen.

This change is not happening fast enough. In a recent article in The Irish Times, the EPA detailed that we are not on track as a nation to meet out 2030 commitments on climate action. This is not good enough. Rapid decarbonisation is essential. The consequences of inaction are far reaching and dire, not just in Ireland but all over the world. It has often been said that it does not matter what Ireland does as we are such a small country and fingers are pointed at larger nations. This, however, is blatantly false. Every fraction of a degree of warming, every centimetre of sea level rise and every tonne of CO₂matters. As Greta Thunberg famously proved, no one is too small to make a difference. Ireland can and must lead by example and take our place as a climate leader and not a climate laggard.