Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I hope we all agree - certainly, everyone claims to agree - that climate change is an urgent priority throughout the world which requires us, without delay, to find ways of reducing carbon emissions and developing renewable and genuinely sustainable - the key word is "sustainable" - energy sources. The flooding, extreme weather events and desertification we are seeing in locations across the globe are real and serious problems.

These issues require to be addressed with urgency, but it is clear we are getting it wrong in this country. The scale of the protest we saw today is evidence of how the Government has got it wrong. It also points to the mistrust that exists in regard to some of the prime movers in these matters, people who claim they are trying to deal with climate change and promote sustainable energy production but whom local communities view as merely seeking a profit at their expense on the basis of dubious and spurious environmental arguments and without any serious evidence for the environmental benefit of what they are seeking to do. The thousands of people who came out today are saying there is no robust debate on these issues and no serious analysis regarding the benefits or otherwise of industrial-scale wind farms.

I do not know all the arguments for and against wind energy, but a very credible case is being put forward in respect of the volatility of wind generation, the cost consequent on that volatility of having to provide backup systems based on other energy sources, the amount of carbon emitted in the erection of these constructions, the transport costs and so on. When one adds it all together, there is a negligible gain in terms of reducing CO2 emissions compared with other renewable energy resources. For example, BW Energy has produced a report showing that taking just one action, namely, converting Moneypoint to biomass - at a cost of €350 million, or one tenth of the planned investment in wind energy - would be sufficient to meet our 2020 targets. There may be people who wish to dispute that claim but, if it is true, why the hell are we talking about building massive wind farms across the midlands?

These matters require serious discussion, but it has not happened thus far. We are going to have an issue in Dublin soon with the Array project, whereby one of the largest wind farms in the world has been proposed for development a few kilometres off the coast of Dublin Bay. Where is the cost-benefit analysis of this project? How will it affect the bay as amenity and for tourism purposes? Will there be a gain in terms of security of supply? Will there be a benefit in respect of climate change? These issues have not been discussed and no evidence has been put forward. Moreover, it is a cause for great concern that protestors are pointing to the reappearance of crony links between some of these developers and the political establishment. For instance, the former national director of elections for Fine Gael is one of the main movers behind Element Power. The former national secretary of the Labour Party has been accused of having a very serious conflict of interest.

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