Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister back to the House. I shared a similar experience to his in recent weeks. It is part of living with Covid. It gives us a clear understanding of the importance of a testing and tracing system that is responsive and rapid. Personal behaviour and a sound healthcare system are the foundation on which our future will be built.

I welcome the inclusion of statements on climate action in the schedule. It is important we keep the topic at the top of the Dáil's agenda although statements on their own will not be enough, and the Minister is aware of this. We need tangible changes that will alter our current path. I look forward to the Minister bringing forward the climate action Bill soon and working with the Government to ensure it is ambitious and fair. The Minister might provide us with an update on its progress.

The challenge of climate change is undeniable despite what some might say. The science is clear and the evidence is powerful and alarming, whether it be in California at present, Siberia in recent months, the Arctic Circle or Australia. I have a brother in Australia with whom I speak weekly. When he speaks about bad weather it is not like the bad weather here. What he means is that it is so warm people cannot go outside or the forest fires are so close that the children cannot go to playschool. We have had our own experience in Ireland in a clearer way in more recent times. Through Met Éireann's detailed and reliable climate data, which has been collected since the mid-1800s, we can see Ireland's average annual temperature has increased by 1°C over the past 100 years. I commend the work of Met Éireann and the work of geographers throughout the country, including at the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Unit. The Minister's colleague at the Department of Education and Skills is still intent on downgrading geography as a subject at junior certificate level and this is a regressive move for the climate effort.

Our climate has changed and is continuing to do so. We are now seeing more damaging storms and more destructive floods as a result. The evidence is clear to everyone.

We have seen examples of this across the island such as the partial collapse of Dunbeg Fort in Dingle in 2018, the impact of coastal and inland erosion on the Spanish Armada wrecks off the Sligo coast and the collapse of Rathcannon Castle during Storm Ophelia. There are many other examples such as the extreme and concerning coastal erosion at Portrane, County Dublin.

It will not be enough to continue simply building flood barriers and hope for the best. Man-made protections are no match for the power of climate change events. Without significant change, this will be the new reality for billions of people across the globe for years to come. It will take a global effort to alter this trajectory. I believe Ireland can become a world leader in eliminating reliance on fossil fuels and changing our habits to greener alternatives. If it makes sense for people to do it and if it is done in a fair and equitable way, then there should be no issue.

For this to happen, however, the Government's approach must be one of bringing people along on the journey with it. Taxing people who have no alternatives or carbon shaming people simply will not work. The Government's proposed increase in carbon tax is exactly the wrong approach. This October the Government will increase the cost for people to heat their homes and drive to work with far more significant impact on income inequality and deprivation indices than on carbon emissions. Most people would love an insulated home and solar panels on their roof. Many would love an electric car or the option of no car at all. This is a million miles away, however, from most people's current household budgets. In fact, it is beyond the capabilities of the infrastructure and public services which the State provides, particularly public transport services, due to government underinvestment for years. Taxing people more this October and for the next ten budgets will not change this. In fact, it will make the issue worse.

Affordable alternatives need to be in place before a behavioural tax can work. In the meantime, it is not a behavioural tax but a punitive one. Not only does it hammer those who can least afford it, it leaves a sour taste in people's mouths about climate action. They feel they are being punished for something totally out of their control. It is the exact opposite to bringing people along on the journey that we are supposed to be on together.

There is the targeting of items such as two-for-one dinners included in the recently launched waste action plan. The action plan commits to working with retailers to end the sale of multibuy packs. There was a significant and understandable angry public response to this for two reasons. First, many people depend on these special offers to feed their families. When one looks at the cost of rent, insurance and childcare and other living costs, this is a reality for many families. Second, people thought of the many other actions that could be taken to target the environmental sphere. Two-for-one dinners are not the highest priority. There was a particular media presentation but it was dreadful.

The same applies for penalising people for buying more affordable clothes. It is insulting and offensive to people who are struggling to make ends meet. It reeks of that idea of going for quality over quantity and telling people to stop being poor. It reminds me of Terry Pratchett's book tax where those wealthy enough can afford good books which last longer and they save money in the long run while those who are poor go through many more books at more expense.

We have to understand the position which people find themselves and the way they engage with the environment, the climate and the economy. We have to meet them where they are. These proposals infuriated people not because they do not want to tackle waste in the fashion industry but because it is yet another tax on the consumer rather than tackling the root causes behind it. Solutions to our waste and environmental challenges cannot just always be a levy or a tax on consumers. This has always been the go-to and simple idea by successive Governments. It does more harm than good to people's attitudes to green politics.

On energy policy, I have spoken privately to the Minister on the North-South interconnector. My honest and heartfelt opinion is that it will not proceed as currently proposed. Planning permission, North and South, is not available due to the level of public opposition. Will the Government engage with communities to find a way forward? There is a way forward but it will only be found with genuine engagement. I would like to know the Minister's plans in this regard.

Transitioning from a reliance on fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy will play a key role in our national climate action effort. Recent industry reports have indicated there are significant challenges in that regard which the Minister acknowledged. What measures will the Government take to address them?

The level of community engagement in the RESS, renewable electricity support scheme, is a real positive. Is enough being done, however, to maximise the potential to look at new economies and new models of delivering energy? I do not believe there is. I am happy to work with the Minister as Opposition spokesperson to advance the opportunities for community-generated energy, as well as for communities to be able to plug in and contribute to the grid.

I live in County Meath where we want people to use public transport. For that to happen, public transport needs to work for people. We need an improved bus network and the Navan rail line to be opened. We have discussed this on numerous occasions and we will continue to do so. I hope it can be progressed. Sinn Féin has committed to playing a constructive role in opposition. We understand and accept the need for system change and to work towards a zero-emissions economy. We are clear in our position, however, that it must be done with, not to, communities. Fundamental to that is the principle of climate justice and a just transition.

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