Ms Mae Weir:

Good morning everyone. My name is Mae. I am 18 years old. I am a member of Foróige in Leitrim and today I want to speak about the importance of education and justice as key principles in the climate action that we undertake. I am a member of Foróige's Ecollective, a group of young people working to address climate change. What makes the Ecollective unique is that we are not a climate action advocacy group but a climate justice advocacy group. Climate justice is the intersection between the effects of climate change and social injustice. It looks at who is affected the most and how can we help them to limit this inequality.

In Ireland, we have been desperately trying to keep up with the climate policies in effect throughout Europe and the world. The problem with the policies in place is that there are always people being left behind. Our priority must be to advocate for those who feel betrayed by climate policies and to promote a fair and equitable approach to climate action in Ireland.

From our work in the Ecollective we have seen two main barriers that prevent people from getting involved in climate action. One is a lack of education. In an age of misinformation people need to understand the scientific basis of climate change and its real effects in our everyday society in order to understand our own part in it. The second is that as of now the average Irish household simply cannot afford to pursue an eco-friendly lifestyle, making this goal seem unattainable. We believe in a holistic approach to educating Ireland on climate justice. The Ecollective has been educating ourselves and others by calling on experts in the field and providing them a platform to share their knowledge through our podcasts and events. What could the Government achieve with its extensive resources?

With the fire hose of media we are subjected to, everyone is constantly bombarded with headlines of climate change that either make them angry or scared. No one can escape the horrific forest fires, the dying polar bears or the lack of action by world leaders. As a defensive mechanism against all this negativity and anxiety we become passive. We are presented with a challenge that feels insurmountable and we are disempowered. People respond to positive achievable goals. We need to see the concrete outcomes of these goals in our lives. For this, we need to start with education. Every university in Ireland should have a research centre for climate action that is funded by the Government and the EU. Research is the foundation for change. With more than half of our adult population being university educated it is clear that we excel at third level education.

We want to make Ireland a world leader in climate research. We propose that the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science make it a requirement to incorporate climate awareness across every degree programme in Ireland. This would result in an Irish workforce that has an understanding of the ecological implications of their jobs.

However, climate awareness is not just for people who attend universities and it needs to become an integral part of primary and secondary education too. The priorities in the primary school curriculum need to be revisited. In a pluralistic society, our emphasis should be on the needs of the 21st century and the challenges that face our community as a whole. If as much time could be spent on climate education as on communion and confirmation prep, we could be looking at a more powerful and informed generation of young people. Children are so open and receptive to change. They are hungry for information and responsive to new ideas, but what are we teaching them? There are brilliant programmes in place, such as the Green Schools and Green Flag programmes, that engage with communities and positively influence the ethos of every school involved. However, the success of these programmes should not be reliant on the enthusiasm and creativity of hard-working teachers. They should be incorporated into the curriculum under the guidance of the Department of Education. We commend the recently announced leaving certificate subject of climate action and sustainable development, and we encourage the incorporation of these issues into the junior certificate science, business and geography curricula. Schools need to be reliable sources of information which promote awareness and understanding surrounding climate justice and climate action. Knowledge is empowering and will help us as young people not to feel the burden of responsibility for progressing climate action alone.

The second barrier preventing people from transitioning into a climate-friendly lifestyle is affordability. It should be the Government's priority to facilitate this transition as justly as possible. This can come in many forms, such as a green allowance for lower income families who are struggling with the increasing cost of living that is partly caused by climate change. This allowance could help to lessen the financial burden that comes with progress and in turn reduce the resentment felt towards climate-focused initiatives. We also propose that the Government follow Italy’s footsteps by providing 110% grants for retrofitting homes to offset the increasing prices and encourage uptake in the programme. We can raise the funds for these grants by exponentially increasing the fines on businesses that have ecologically harmful practices, and we can link the cost of these fines directly to the percentage of income they generate in order to prevent the creation of loopholes where companies simply pay the fine and refuse to change their practices. We must not allow climate action to be a pursuit only for the wealthy. The Government has a responsibility to facilitate and support the green transition, not just for the upper or middle class, but for every Irish citizen.

The success of this transition hinges upon the just and equitable distribution of the burden of climate change. Policies that encourage such essential progress are often unpopular and, unfortunately, are also often unequal. Let us look at the carbon tax, a tax that is necessary to change our habits of excessive consumption and reduce our over-reliance on cars. As it stands, the carbon tax disproportionately affects rural Ireland, where people are forced to rely on cars because there is no other viable option. This entrenches the rural-urban divide and creates strong resentment against any attempt to put climate policies in place in rural Ireland. If we were to introduce a congestion tax for major urban centres which would dissuade car commuters and force them to avail of the public transport provided, we would share the burden more justly between rural and urban Ireland.

Ireland has emerged as a progressive society which is leading the way on many issues. Climate justice is the next challenge facing us. When everyone is aware of the issues and everyone is included in the solutions, I assure the committee that we can do this - together.