Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

This is the No. 1 crisis of humanity. It threatens our planet and all of our people. Some 150,000 people die every year linked to climate change. What will be different this time? Last year the Taoiseach went to Paris and told the world Ireland was committed to addressing climate change. He said, "I hope that we are serious about putting in place a legally binding agreement on climate change that will underpin our actions". Hours later he was quoted as saying that the targets were unrealistic, saying that Ireland had a bad recession and could not meet those targets without harming agriculture and that Ireland would look for wriggle-room on target before sending people to negotiate with the EU to lower the targets.

Given that scientists now say we will definitively pass the 1.5° Celsius mark and are heading towards 2° Celsius, which literally has fatal consequences for large numbers of people, will Ireland be more ambitious than previously indicated by the Taoiseach?

See this speech in context