Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 21 March 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

Sustainable Development Goals: Discussion

Photo of Jennifer WhitmoreJennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I thank all of our guests for their presentations.

From listening to the witnesses and reading through their documents, there is a focus on what individuals can do. We have quite a focus on this aspect in Ireland because everyone wants to do their bit. I wonder if there is too much of a focus on this approach. In reality, when we talk about retrofitting, we are not meeting these targets. Data centres use 14% of our electricity and this is more than all the rural houses in Ireland. It is clear, therefore, that while individuals should be doing things and we should be supporting them, we need to see systems change happen for us to meet our targets. We are not seeing this. It is clear the Government's actions and policies, and we have many policies and plans, are not translating into reduced emissions. We are still seeing our emissions increasing. I am interested in hearing the comments and thoughts of the witnesses on this point. Is our focus too much on individuals? Should it be more about the major players and how we can deal with the demand they are placing on the system?