Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The IPCC report announced this week gives a start and grave warning that we must take seriously, namely, that it is now or never and that two to three years remain in which we can reduce emissions drastically to ensure there will not be irreversible consequences that our children, those in poorer countries and the poorest in our own country could feel. We need to act; now is the time. Actions are being taken, which I acknowledge, but a great deal more can be done. Solar technology has been around for a long time and it is incredible how many public buildings throughout the State do not have solar panels. It is incredible that of the more than 4,000 schools in the State, there is no scheme as yet for them to feed in solar energy to the grid. There are no regulations to govern that area. The same is true of community facilities and any number of voluntary organisations and their buildings. It is an obvious win and one on which we must move. The Government has talked about it, but progress has been very slow and we need to address that.

The other issue on which there is significant potential for generating energy not only for us but also in a European context and to allow us to convert to green hydrogen relates to offshore wind. Moreover, there is great potential for creating employment as well. In other countries, such as Britain and some of our other neighbours, steps have been achieved in this regard, whereas we are coming to this very late. I appreciate that predates the Minister and there have been recent announcements, but much more is needed. There is a need to engage with seafarers. My understanding is the seafood task force that has been talked about has not yet been convened. It would allow us to have that engagement in order that we can navigate the challenges that exist there. We need a clear signal that there will be an option for floating offshore wind in the next two to three years because that will unlock significant potential. There needs to be significant public investment to ensure the public and the community can benefit from it, and those who are going to invest in it need that clear signal to ensure the investment can start to be ramped up now. These are the kinds of steps we need to take.

See this speech in context