Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to speak in this important debate on climate change.

I disagree with my colleague, Deputy Hogan, on the role of the Green Party. I commend the two Green Party Ministers, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, and the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on the magnificent work they are doing in government. They have put climate change and the care of the environment and country at the heart of government and we should all support them.

On a practical issue, I thank the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for the additional sum allocated to cleaning up Dublin Bay and improving its water quality. This is a major investment and we have a duty to support common-sense projects which clean up the bay. We must also constantly monitor and challenge the Dublin Port Company and its efforts to destroy Dublin Bay. This issue, specifically flooding in Clontarf, Fairview and along the River Tolka, is linked to the climate change debate.

On the broader issue, it is important to understand precisely what is meant by the term "climate change". It is a significant change in average weather or climate conditions. While it can be caused by natural factors such as variations in sunlight intensity, the term is now generally used to refer to changes in our climate due to a build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This build up is caused by excess emissions caused by activities such as burning fossil fuels for energy, transport and heating.

Climate change is a shift in the average weather conditions that a given region experiences. This is measured by changes in all the features we associate with the weather such as temperature, wind patterns, precipitation and storms. Global climate change means change in the climate of the Earth as a whole and also occurs naturally, the Ice Age being an example. The Earth's natural climate has always been changing. The climate change evident today differs from previous climate change in both its rate and magnitude. This is a key issue.

The temperature on Earth is regulated by a system known as the "greenhouse effect". Greenhouse gases, primarily water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, trap the heat of the sun, preventing radiation from dissipating into space. Without the effect of these naturally occurring gases, the average temperature on Earth would be -18° Celsius, instead of the current average of 15° Celsius and life as we know it would be impossible.

During the past 200 years emissions of greenhouse gases due to human activities have accumulated in the atmosphere where, owing to their long life, they remain for periods lasting from decades to centuries. As a result, since the Industrial Revolution, concentrations of carbon dioxide have increased by 30%, methane by 145% and nitrous oxide by 15%. The cause of these increases has been human activities related to our increasingly sophisticated and mechanised lifestyle, in particular, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas to generate electricity and in factories and cars. In addition, we have cleared more land for human use in the past 100 years than in all of prior human history. This has resulted in the loss of forests and wetlands which absorb and store greenhouse gases and naturally regulate the atmosphere. In effect, by increasing the amount of these heat trapping gases, we have enhanced the natural greenhouse effect to the point where it has the potential to warm the planet at a rate never experienced in human history. Already, the average global temperature has increased by about 0.5° Celsius in the past 100 years and temperature increases in the next 100 years are expected to significantly surpass any such change in the past 10,000 years.

This is a wake-up call for everyone involved in the climate change debate. The issue extends beyond the Government and every individual must play his or her small part. Around the world, climate change is projected to threaten the world's boreal forests, with an increased fire risk because of the drying climate; cause water needs to outstrip supply; cause severe water loss due to changes in evaporation and precipitation patterns; cause flood damage to low lying countries and island states, including loss of coastal land to rising sea levels; encourage the movement of tropical diseases such as malaria northward where populations have little or no immunity; and affect international trade patterns.

These core issues must be addressed. People from the Sammy Wilson school of environmentalism should wake up and smell the coffee. Mr. Wilson, MLA, Minister for the Environment in the North, professes to know a great deal about the environment and is threatening to use the North as a dumping ground for nuclear waste. We cannot stand idly by and allow the North to have a Sellafield mark 2. I challenge Mr. Wilson and others who share his beliefs to examine the broader debate on climate change and the dumping of nuclear waste.

I wish to focus on the impact of climate change on fisheries. Climate change can be expected to have a significant impact on fisheries countries such as Canada and will affect both the productivity of fish populations and how they are distributed throughout lakes, streams and oceans. Changes to water temperature, currents, water quality and food supply could all have effects on fish populations. Consideration should be given to this matter, particularly in the context of this week's Private Members' debate on the fishing industry.

We must ensure that every interest group, citizen and Member of the Oireachtas plays their small part in the debate on climate change. I referred earlier to flooding and the major impact it could have on Clontarf, Fairview and the River Tolka in my constituency. It is important that we link the potential damage that could be done to the 52 acres of Dublin Bay - in which I am particularly interested - to the broader debate.

I welcome the recent report compiled by CDM and partners. This company completed an economic, amenity and environmental study of Dublin Bay, including the port area, in July 2007. This study was intended to be the first stage in the preparation of a strategic framework plan for the Dublin Bay area that would guide stakeholders in the long-term development of this resource. CDM and partners put forward a number of options and 75% of the submissions received in respect of them favoured the option which proposes the transfer of Dublin Port to an alternative location and the redevelopment of the port lands. This was assisted by the active engagement of householders in the Clontarf area and by great organisations, such as Dublin Bay Watch, which have a strong interest in the outcome of this debate and a history of opposition to plans by the Dublin Port Company to reclaim further land in order to extend the port estate. It is clear that a positive approach by Dublin City Council in favour of the option to which I refer would be broadly welcomed by those in my constituency. It is essential that this matter be dealt with in the context of the debate on climate change.

We must consider how human activity leads to the production of additional greenhouse gases. This is an important matter. Greenhouse gases are emitted through numerous activities. The main greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide, CO2, which arises from the burning of fossil fuels and land use changes. Other greenhouse gases include methane from agriculture and waste food and nitrous oxide, which mainly arises from agriculture. Industrial gases also act as very powerful greenhouse gases but are emitted in much smaller quantities.

In general, the sources of emissions can be broadly divided into two categories: energy related and non-energy related. Energy-related emissions arise from power generation, transport, industry, and buildings — via heating and other fuel use. Non-energy related emissions arise from agriculture, forestry, land use change and waste disposal activities.

I welcome this debate. I commend Deputy Barrett, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security, who has done magnificent work during the past five or six months. I also commend my other colleagues on that committee on the great work they are doing. This issue relates to more than one party and people should take it on board and play their part.

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