Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 28 November 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

COP28: Discussion

Mr. Simon Murtagh:

On the question of data centres and energy, last week, Christian Aid and Oxfam met a delegation from the Cerrejón mine in Colombia. Members from all sides in the House were also present. Those communities have been struggling for more than ten years. They have been absolutely devastated by the biggest open-cast mine in Latin America. It produces unbelievable pollution. I have read the child mortality statistics associated with that issue. The ESB plant at Moneypoint is importing coal from Cerrejón. As I understand it, this is a form of back-up fuel because demand is so high. It was the Stop Blood Coal movement that alerted us all to that issue in the first place. That cannot be left out in the analysis.