Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

We are experiencing a climate catastrophe. I often think from listening to debates in this House that this has not dawned on people enough. To quote the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Working Group III report, there is a "rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all". We are in a biodiversity emergency and experiencing the sixth mass extinction event on this planet. We are also experiencing a cost-of-living crisis. Half a million people are in fuel poverty and must choose between heating and eating. All of these crises are rooted in a capitalist system of production for profit rather than production in the interest of ordinary people. It is in the interest of the latter that we must avoid the climate catastrophe and stop the biodiversity crisis. We need action to address all of these. It must be rooted in the idea of eco-socialist change and eco-socialist policies that put people's needs and our planet first.

The science is crystal clear: Ireland bogs are the richest in Europe, and bogs are incredibly good carbon sinks. Peatlands cover 3% of the world's surface but store 40% of all carbon in the soil. They store twice as much carbon as all the forests in the world. They are a treasure trove of biodiversity in this country, and burning them poses a threat to public health. They are the equivalent of Ireland's Amazon, so we have to stop mining peat. We have to stop mining our bogs. Incidentally, we also have to stop importing mined peat. There is no reason to continue with that when we are stopping its sale here. However, we must do all this in a way that ensures ordinary people are protected. Our amendment would expand the turf-cutting compensation scheme to all those with turbary rights, giving a grant to immediately meet the difference for people who face buying more expensive fuel if they are unable to buy turf. There should be upfront retrofitting of people's homes at no cost to ensure quality insulation.

All this can be done, but two questions must be posed. First, why has the Government not had a genuine just transition? Second, why is Sinn Féin's motion not calling for it? Why not call for what needs to be done according to the science and protect people by September? Why call for the postponement of urgent action instead of demanding that the Government do everything to protect people? It can be done. It is a question of political will and resources. It is about putting people and our planet before profit.

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