Ms Aisling Maloney:

I wish the Acting Chairman, committee members and fellow young people a good morning. I extend my thanks and gratitude to the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action and Youth Work Ireland for giving me the invitation to speak today to give the youth perspective on today’s issues for discussion. My name is Aisling Maloney and I am a law with politics student in University College Dublin, UCD. I come from rural Offaly, and I am an activist. I am involved with Youth Work Ireland through its youth participation panel, although I have been a long-time member of the organisation.

I have been involved in climate action since I was in primary school and my involvement in the movement since has remained constant throughout both my second level and third level education. I have been involved with groups such as Green-Schools, Youth Work Ireland, the National Youth Council of Ireland, ECO-UNESCO, the climate ambassadors of An Taisce and the European Climate Pact ambassadors. My involvement in each of those groups has broadened my understanding of climate change and what needs to be done to mitigate its effects.

I stand before the committee today not just as a climate activist, but as a young woman from a low socioeconomic background. While I believe wholeheartedly that the climate movement is working towards a better future for our generation and the next, I cannot deny that it can be unaffordable at times. People such as me who come from low-income backgrounds simply cannot afford to choose the sustainable options. With the existing stigma around going to second-hand shops or clothes swaps like the one in which I found my current outfit, these families are left with little other option than to go to the more affordable fast-fashion outlets for their clothes as they simply cannot afford to buy from sustainable clothing brands on a regular basis, especially when it comes to young children who outgrow their clothes quickly.

Furthermore, we are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. The young people of our country are struggling. They cannot afford to worry about climate change and shopping sustainably when they are already worrying about affording next month’s rent, struggling to pay their student fees or even finding somewhere to live for the duration of their education. More needs to be done in terms of a just transition so that everyone can be able to access the climate movement and make the necessary changes in their lives if this country has any hope of reaching the targets set out by the sustainable development goals.

I am seeking more support for young people and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to enable them to access the climate movement and make their lives more sustainable. Initiatives like more affordable public transport have already made a difference to the lives of students, who are more likely to choose the sustainable option of public transport for their commute to class than driving there themselves. This initiative needs to be extended to more people and more initiatives like this need to be put in place, especially in rural areas where public transport networks are lacking and other sectors. If this country truly wishes to make a contribution to climate action and move towards a sustainable future, then everyone must be brought on board and given adequate support to do so. Nobody should be left behind. I thank all members for taking the time today to hear our views.