Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The nationalist far right surged in the recent general election in Finland. The tactic of those involved was to promote a whole new level of misinformation and outright lies about climate change and the necessary policies to tackle it. Greenpeace and others have dubbed it Finland's climate election. There has been similar climate scepticism as part of US President Donald Trump's call for the US to abandon the Paris Agreement. Thankfully, we heard a different and more progressive American view expressed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms Nancy Pelosi, in this Chamber earlier.

The strong scientific consensus is that we have 11 years to make serious changes to our economies in order to stave off the worst impact of global climate change. Reducing and phasing out our carbon emissions over the next 30 years will allow us to sustain most of our way of life while limiting, although not undoing, the further harm that our economies will cause the planet. This is not a solution to climate change but it is the least worst course of action that we must now take. Those worst affected by climate change will be the people living in countries which are particularly exposed to droughts and floods. Equally, those with least wealth here in Ireland are at the greatest risk of any failure to meet the challenges head on. That is where the populists have lied in the faces of those they pretend to represent. They have stoked hysteria about food prices and demand to retain petrol-burning cars. They claim that climate change is exaggerated so that elites can impose further austerity on ordinary people.

Making changes to our economy will be difficult. That is why the Labour Party and the trade union movement have argued for a just transition model, to use the opportunity to eliminate energy policy and to ensure that the State actively supports the creation of good jobs to replace those that will be displaced. On foot of events in recent weeks, it is clear that some populists here intend to campaign against climate policy as a tactic to scare voters without any consideration of the dire consequences that this might have on reducing our capacity to mitigate the harm of climate change. They are warning people of the high cost of climate action policies while claiming that climate action can be somehow achieved free of charge. They are warning people of the loss of jobs and income that will follow from failing to control climate change.

The membership of this House should rally together in respect of the following question. Will the Government confirm that it is committed to the just transition approach which has been outlined by the trade union movement and supported by my party and which will mean setting up robust funds to assist people with home insulation, to mitigate the increased fuel costs and to support job replacement in industries that will be displaced as we make the necessary adjustments? When will we see the Government's climate action plan?

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