Caít Keane (Fine Gael)
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I thank the witnesses for appearing before the committee today. Given their experience over the last 50 years, global climate change was probably on their agenda before it was on anybody else's agenda. They were working in the countries affected by it before we even started thinking about it 20 years ago. Their experience and input are valuable, particularly when they tell us the number of people dying each year. It is worth repeating that 300,000 people are dying each year due to climate change. We must keep that in mind.

The witnesses said responsibility is among their three priorities. As politicians we would love to have to wear just one hat for responsibility, but we must wear three or four hats for responsibility to A, B, C and D. When the witnesses outline their three objectives as responsibility, justice and climate, I presume their responsibility is to the Third World and to the countries that are most affected. That would be their priority. I gave that number of our responsibilities because our responsibility is to those as well. We have an impact on their lives so it is our responsibility as well. However, we have another responsibility and I wonder how to balance the two. We have a responsibility to the people in our own country who cannot afford to eat, if food is going to get more expensive. Have the witnesses any advice on how to balance that? They know we want to be responsible and do the best for the Third World but they also know we are bound by the economic constraints to do our best for the people in our own country as well.

The witnesses suggested that there be a definition of low carbon under head 2. Do they not think the definition of low carbon should be worldwide? We talked earlier about how to do the accounting, definitions and so forth. When they ask us to define low carbon in head 2 do they mean for Ireland, on a European scale or on a global scale?

My third question is also about the submission. It says the way we currently live and do business is not viable in the long term. I always say it would be great if we could go back to the slower pace of life in the Aran Islands versus the east and so forth. I am not picking on the Aran Islands as it is a beautiful place and I am from the west, but what do the witnesses mean by that? I realise we must put a great deal into educating people about the throwaway society and so forth. As the witnesses have mentioned it, if they were to ask us to do two things to stop this, what would be their recommendations?

I take their point about food security. We discussed it earlier.