Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am also delighted to be co-presenting this Bill with my party comrades, given the urgency of the climate crisis we are in and the need to adapt to clean green technology as soon as possible. I have noted the Government's amendment. Normally I would be very disappointed with such an amendment but I acknowledge that we are having a public consultation with interested stakeholders. It is very important that we get this right so that is welcome.

I have a particular constituency interest in green hydrogen which I will address here. It is not only about its use as a fuel but the context of its wider impact on how we work, live and do business. It is a clean, green, renewable and sustainable fuel coming from the electrolysis of water. From source to use, it has huge potential to change transport and heating in north Kildare and all across the Thirty-two Counties. In north Kildare we have a highly aware and climate-conscious population, which is hugely concerned that the local biodiversity and ecosystem must be protected for this and future generations. This was evidenced in Leixlip recently by a huge outcry over pollution in the River Rye. People were extremely distressed about it. The lockdown also gave people a sense of awareness of the local area and the fragility of the ecosystems and habitats.

There is also a big business and economic component to the importance of this Bill for my constituency. Kildare has become a major logistics hub, with a lot of the big players having warehousing and logistical operations in Kildare. Due to that, there is major use of HGVs in the county, as well as all the work and jobs involved in meeting customer demand and expectations across the island. A company's reputation would only be as good as its ability to fulfil customer demand. The interconnectedness of community and nature is the same interconnectedness between logistics, warehousing, production and retail. Clean green hydrogen is crucial to our environment in north Kildare in every sense, be that natural, transport or economic.

This demonstrates the importance of joined-up thinking and big picture politics. In north Kildare we have suffered from a distinct lack of such thinking and our economies and communities are suffering due to this lack of big picture politics. Just this week I addressed the lack of connection between planning, housing and public transport. People are stranded in housing estates in rural communities. Despite our belief in the power of the bicycle, a lot of my constituents are so far away from education and work that cycling is not always an option for them and they do not have access to proper public transport. Hydrogen could be very important for fuelling public transport and as a clean way of fuelling cars. Hydrogen engines will be critical as public transport embraces this new green technology.

Green hydrogen also has huge potential in aviation. As an island nation, we should never have sold off our national airline and left all those talented workers to the mercy of the private market. A growing number of people are talking about not travelling by air or cutting it to a minimum for the sake of the planet. I hope the use of hydrogen in aviation will have a major impact environmentally, as well as on customer choice. We are an island nation. Unlike our European neighbours, we do not have the option of hopping on a train in our capital city and being taken to a capital city in another country.

That option simply is not available to us, so we have to be realistic. Climate action has to suit the citizen too. We have to make the best of it and this is an option. As a member of the Joint Committee on Climate Action, I am aware of the urgency of the issue. I accept the amendment. I am delighted that this is going ahead to consultation.

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