Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A great deal has been said about the various issues. I want to focus on agriculture, farming and land use policy. My party disagreed with a portion of the report of the Joint Committee on Climate Action, mainly with regard to the carbon tax. We also disagreed with the findings of the report on how to use our land in a way that works for communities, farmers and people in the agriculture sector. We took on a number of issues in that regard, one of which related to how afforestation is done. We believe every farm should have more forestry as a way of contributing to tackling climate change. We need to make that happen as quickly as possible. The structures are there to do it. We need to put incentives in place to encourage every farmer to be part of the climate action story by sequestering carbon on their own land.

There are significant opportunities within the farming sector to build and develop new systems in new sectors of agriculture. I am thinking particularly of biomass and biogas, which offer great opportunities. Our climate and our land resource mean we are able to grow an immense volume of grass, which can be used to produce biogas. Similarly, thousands of farm buildings with large roof space around the country could be used for solar power. This would enhance the renewable energy aspect of farm use.

The issue of gas on the Shannon terminal has been mentioned. Enough oil and gas has been discovered to destroy the planet several times over. It is ridiculous to say now that we are going to look for more of it again. Talking about importing fracked gas from North America flies in the face of everything we have done in this place in the past to make sure fracking is banned.

The reality is that the big business interests that fund and finance all of these industries are at the core of all of this. If we are going to make a difference, we have to tackle that. We have to make sure the flows of money that go into these dirty industries are stopped and blocked. That is one of the big things we need to do.

There has been great talk about carbon taxes on many occasions. This would involve trying to put a tax on small farmers down the country when they go to put a drop of diesel into their tractors. If the Government was serious about taxing the polluter, it would put a carbon tax on the aeroplanes contributing substantial quantities of carbon. However, there is no tax whatsoever on aviation fuel. That is an example of what we need to do. People who can afford to fly all over the world on holidays or for other reasons can afford to pay a levy on air travel, which is not an essential. Most people have to heat their homes and have to travel. They have no options.

The Government does not seem to understand this problem. It has to work for the people and not just for big business and the sectors that are about making more and more profit. As long as we have a profit-driven economy, we will have a huge problem. We need to have an economy that is about people as well. We need to ensure they have a future.

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