Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I will not come back on that issue because we do not have the time. Even though we have powers we are not using them under the Chicago convention around flight inspections, for example.

I will ask a question because it is important. When the Minister answered the question about data centres, he mentioned his conversations with data centre owners. I am worried this mood music of what industry wants and what it says seems to be the thing rather than my actual questions about what legislative measures we take to say there cannot be gas connections, be it for backup generators or for central generators. Whatever about the benefits we mentioned there are questions about priorities and about the limited gigatonnes, as the Minister mentioned, that we have left on this shared planet and about AI and commercial activity for which we are not necessarily the customers and in many cases we are the targets. That is the priority.

I will ask final questions because I might not get to come in again. In terms of climate justice, does the Minister believe these are useful uses of the remaining gigatonnes left in the world? The other climate justice question relates to what we are discussing today, which is the climate action plan, in terms of the damage being done to developing countries that have done the least to cause this situation. We know a minimal interpretation Ireland's fair share of climate finance is that we should be paying more than €400 million per year but we have only committed to €225 million per year by 2025. Will that €225 million of climate finance be in the budget next year? Why is it not €400 million?

Globally, in terms of prioritisation, do we not need to take a stand against some areas that may indeed be profitable and economically beneficial for some but have a climate cost for all of us on this shared planet?