Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The position is that it is about maths. We are 84% dependent on fossil fuels and that will not change overnight. The ambition of Europe is to go from 16% renewables to 32% by 2030. That will still leave huge dependence on fossil fuels in Ireland and in Europe. Our choice is whether, by abandoning exploration, we switch to fracked gas from the US or to gas coming from Russia or Saudi Arabia in the Middle East and sacrifice the revenue that comes into the Exchequer that can help us fund the changes we need, or do we switch that money to paying these oligarchs from abroad for the way in which they generate fossil fuels. The logic is that we have to change our dependence on fossil fuels. That is the change we have to make and pretending that can be done by some sleight of hand is just not realistic. The Deputy is fooling the people.

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