Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is fine and I thank the Acting Chairman. Some three and a half years ago, I made a speech during the first of our debates on climate change. I said then that the debate was no longer about whether our emissions were having an impact. That debate is over. The question is now about the severity of our impact and what window of opportunity we have. I made that contribution in May 2016. I was commenting in the context of the Rio Conventions, which were, theoretically, a turning point. It was no turning point because since 1992 our emissions have gone up. We are looking at the window of opportunity now being much narrower.

This nation, this Dáil and all of humanity is running out of time. Climate action and climate justice must underpin every step taken by the Government and it must be an immediate priority. It will be too late otherwise and the Minister knows that. I will not use my words now. I will quote the words of people far more learned and experienced than I. The United Nations Secretary General stated that "preventing irreversible climate disruption is the race of our lives and for our lives". The intergovernmental panel on climate change, IPPC, gave its starkest warning ever almost a year ago to the day. The new head of the European Commission, not known for her radical nature, told us that the European Commission has recognised that global and domestic EU interests demand increased ambition in our targets. The Habitats report told us about the enormous rate of extinction happening among our habitats and different species. The annual review of our own Climate Change Advisory Council, again not known for its radical nature, published in July, found that Ireland will not come close to meeting its international emission reduction targets by 2020. The review stated that we need a significant and sustained rate of emissions reduction. I do not have time to go into the five key findings. I can say, however, that the Minister's reaction to me saying we do not have a copy of his speech is not acceptable. We need a speech from the Minister and the Government setting out a recognition of the enormity of what is facing the country.

We have pushed the Government to take action and it was the children on the street who really pushed us. I appreciate the Minister is holding up a report to show me. I have seen many reports. I have seen a mitigation plan, a framework, an action plan and legislation, while all the time our emissions are going in the wrong direction. We are narrowing our debate to speaking about a carbon tax as opposed to how we will engage with our communities, which wish to engage with us. They, more than us, and most of all the young people, realise how important it is.

We are part of the EU, which is looking at further militarisation. Environmental destruction, increased greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and climate chaos are all an inescapable part of modern warfare. Modern warfare is part of the US agenda, up to which the EU is tying. We cannot look at these matters in isolation. Waving a plan at me does not deal with the enormity and severity of what we are facing.

I am going home this evening and I cannot wait. I will attend a meeting on the lack of cycling infrastructure. Imagine that in the 21st century in Galway city, we are speaking about the most basic cycling infrastructure. We are still going ahead with more roads, despite the fact that 23,000 people signed a petition to ask the Government to look at a feasibility study for public transport and light rail. It is not happening. It is a city in which development is being led by developers all over again. The Minister's colleague, the Tánaiste, agreed with me on two occasions and told me it was unusual. He agreed it was developer led with no master plan integrated with climate change. Climate change must lead everything we are doing. We also see further prospecting licences in Connemara. I understand this has stopped simply because of the level of protest. The Government's policy is to open the door to people to come in and extract more minerals and fossil fuels when we know we cannot do this.

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