Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The average age in this House is 50. I checked that earlier today. Most of us will not be around when the real horrors of climate change hit this country, when farmers are having difficulty farming on flooded lands, when sea levels rise in our coastal communities and when parts of the planet will be hugely challenged by mass migration as parts of the planet will not be habitable. We will not be around for that. It is difficult for a politician to take a decision beyond that five or ten year term of their political career. What we are doing here is not for us. It is not for our political gain, our political careers or to ensure any of us keeps or loses our seat; it is about protecting my children and the children and grandchildren of everybody here, and for every child not yet born in this country, so that over the next 20 to 30 years they have some chance to grow up in a country that will not be hammered by climate change. That is the decision we are taking.

I hear criticism from the Opposition. I welcome that criticism. We have got to do more so I encourage them to keep that criticism coming, but please to match it with some alternatives. I hear nothing but rhetoric on this from the Opposition. We are the ones taking action on it. We are taking action on it now and they can sit there forever with their criticisms, but they might also throw across a few alternatives. We would consider them because we all have to act on this.

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