Dáil debates

Wednesday, 16 June 2021

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages

 

6:12 pm

Photo of Ruairi Ó MurchúRuairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend a number of the amendments that have been put forward by my colleagues, Deputies O’Rourke, Cronin and Carthy. I will speak in favour of amendment No. 1 and beyond, that is, to those amendments that relate specifically to the just transition. I echo many of the calls in this House. We accept there must be moves made in the direction of dealing with the climate problem. Even as a small State, we are part of a wider European Union, a wider globe and we need to deliver on that. There is an obvious necessity for accountability measures and to ensure we follow through on targets. It has been said by many, that there is a feeling out there when people hear about climate change and action being taken from a governmental point of view that it is about costs. They associate it with costs; costs for those who can least afford it, including those on the peripheral of society, those in rural Ireland and the farming community, in particular, who do not necessarily have many alternatives.

Until we have alternatives in respect of fuel and so on, it will be very difficult for people not to see the likes of the carbon tax as an imposition and something that makes them poorer. Deputy O'Rourke and others spoke about their disappointment that we have not included just transition in this Bill. We are talking about a just transition that delivers for all those groups, including workers and their families. We must engage with all the necessary stakeholders, that is, the employers and the workers, and such a transition must also deal with farmers. I have said this previously and I will repeat myself: there is an onus on the Government, the Minister and others who want to deliver this change, to engage with these stakeholders, particularly with those in the farming community. Many of them are incredibly apprehensive about this and the Government must show them a roadmap and a shared journey. That is something that could be done at Government level and it has to be done.

I also echo the huge disappointment about missing a trick as regards dealing with protections within this Bill. Doing so would mean we would be protected if the State were foolish enough to follow through on CETA and particularly the investor court system. I hope we do not go down that road and that we do not leave ourselves open to being taken to the cleaners by big business. We will have missed a trick by not dealing with that within this Bill.

To deal specifically with farming, we spoke about the CAP question earlier and every speaker referred to the necessity of not only delivering a steady supply of safe food but also of having sustainable family farms. I have already stated that many people in rural Ireland, and many farmers, are apprehensive about this and there is a need to deal with all those stakeholders. It is absolutely necessary and will also make the Government's actions on climate change easier to deliver.

Deputy Carthy and I recently attended a meeting with the local IFA in Monasterboice, at which it specifically dealt with the changing nature of dealing with climate change. People spoke about renewables, difficulties they had with microgeneration schemes and a number of things that must be dealt with. There were a huge number of people there who saw the necessity for change. What they need is interaction from the Government and a deliverable roadmap. I accept that we are going to have to do this in every sector but we need to ensure that we bring as many people along the road as possible.

I ask the Minister to look at a number of Sinn Féin's amendments, particularly those that relate to certain protections and lay out the detail on the just transition. We need to make sure there is a level of accountability from this House as regards any changes or plans that are put in place but, beyond that, that we must also ensure the necessary interaction with all those stakeholders takes place. We all have a stake in this. This is about delivering our future and that of our children and grandchildren. We all have a part to play but there is a missing link at this point in time. This has to be about a just transition. It has to be about delivering what is possible and what will deliver for our people, not only environmentally but in a viable, sustainable and economic way that does not hurt those who are already being hurt. We need to put protections in place and I ask the Minister to look at the Sinn Féin amendments in that regard.

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