Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

I fear the Taoiseach needs a serious wake-up call on climate change. Energy is the defining issue of our age. I remind the Taoiseach we are talking about the future of mankind rather than about balance. There is no balance in the Taoiseach's approach. JamesLovelock predicts that by the end of this century the earth will be able to support only 1 billion people; therefore 5 billion will die. I ask for some balance when faced with this scenario. I wonder what the history books will record about the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and the seriousness with which he dealt with this issue. There are children in the Visitors Gallery. The cars used by the Taoiseach and members of the Cabinet do not run on biofuel so I question how serious he is about it. Is the Taoiseach in agreement with other EU leaders who stated cuts in greenhouse gas emissions of between 60% and 80% will be required? The Kyoto Protocol is letting the Taoiseach off the leash to create another 13% of emissions above the 1990 levels. Does he agree that cuts of between 60% to 80% are required and is he serious about it? Has he informed the other leaders he is in agreement with them? Will the Taoiseach face his Cabinet colleagues with the scenario of ecological genocide unless we radically change our whole transport policy and our level of greenhouse gas emissions?

It is a question of different methods of employment. Those who do not produce greenhouse gas emissions should be encouraged. Will the Taoiseach encourage that type of industry and penalise the polluter? Will he reward those who are efficient in terms of their energy use and introduce fiscal measures to do so? This is the kind of balance we mean. I ask for that kind of balance and the reversal of the capital investment programme for transport which has closed down freight, given more roads but not enough public transport and resulted in the bad planning which has people commuting over 50 miles a day.

See this speech in context