Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Tomorrow is Earth Day, which is an opportunity to recognise, reflect and reaffirm our commitment on climate change and our commitments under the Paris Agreement. We have a responsibility to leave behind a better environment for our children. To do nothing to achieve that goal would be a dereliction of our collective responsibilities as parliamentarians to our citizens and our planet. I call on the Taoiseach to provide the supports necessary to develop research and development in Ireland which will, in turn, make us leading innovators in this field, to use our position on the international stage, both on the UN Security Council and within the EU, to be a voice for young people on this issue and to reach out to less fortunate nations, which are already struggling, and work with them to prevent the humanitarian catastrophe in developing nations. Given that the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Emissions Bill will reach Second Stage this afternoon, we should redouble our efforts in our legislative commitments.

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