Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In some ways, this is like being present at a backslappers' convention but it probably highlights the fact that this is an unusual day for the House. It is appropriate that it is the final day of the Dáil term and it is interesting that the time in which we are speaking is time the Government gave and swapped with Independents 4 Change in order that we could conclude the debate on the Bill. That is a good sign. It is not often that we get the opportunity to acknowledge positive developments in this House. There are not too many of them. We need to give credit where it is due. In that context, credit for this Bill overwhelmingly lies with Deputy Pringle and the staff in his office, particularly Jodie, as well as Trócaire and the other organisations.

When we say Trócaire, we do not just mean an organisation, we mean all of the hundreds of citizens who have been mailing all of us over the course of the past week to encourage this Bill over the line. That encouragement has been good and we have an obligation to those to whom I refer see the Bill through with the level of urgency they demanded of us. The legislation is largely symbolic, but symbolism is incredibly important. We have made a stand today, historically and on the world stage, and it is now a case of us being obliged to follow it up. It is also a reality check. If we continue to show the apathy that has been shown in this State, we will sleepwalk into an environmental disaster and we will be left to wonder, 20 years from now, why we did not act when it was in our power to do so.

When we refer to the fines that Ireland will inevitably have to pay because we are so far behind in terms of our carbon emissions targets, it is sadly ironic that the fines are actually the least part of our troubles. As Deputy Connolly stated, Ireland currently has the third highest rate of emissions per capitain the world, with a very heavy reliance on oil, coal and peat. In addition, emissions in the key areas of agriculture, energy and transport are increasing. We are aware that the Climate Change Advisory Council has been highly critical of our progress to date, that Trócaire made recommendations a number of years ago and that it has taken a number of years to get to this symbolic Bill. How many more years is it going to take to deal with the other fundamentals if we do not start delivering on them?

The Government sent certain mixed messages this week by opposing Deputy Bríd Smith's Bill, which was being scrutinised by the relevant committee this week. There is an urgency here in that we have to alter our thinking. Perhaps we can repeat the co-operation that has taken place on the Bill before us and bring it to bear on all of the other measures that are desperately needed in order to address the State's inaction in respect of the key issues relating to climate change.

I thank everybody involved in bringing forward the Bill. Like previous speakers, I am of the view that it must be seen as part of a wider suite of measures which are necessary and which must be taken seriously in the coming months and years.

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