Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

What Europe is facing now is absolutely incredible. For example, Germany was dependent on Russian gas for 70% of its energy needs, and that has been shut off. What is being asked of Europe is incredible and Europe and Ireland are responding. Ireland can respond further, less so in the short term but more so in the medium and long term. We have an opportunity to develop our indigenous energy resource, not just for our needs but to help Europe in the long run. We can do that to become energy independent and also to solve this great existential crisis.

COP27 is coming up in a few weeks' time in Egypt. I watched a report on CNN today which discussed the importance of cities in the climate challenge we face. Cities account for 75% of the world's emissions. I read an interview with the mayor of Utrecht. A delegation from Limerick city is in Utrecht this week to look at what it has done to become a sustainable city. It is probably the lead city in the world in terms of sustainability. As many Members will know, this centres around its approach to transport and liveability. We have to follow cities like Utrecht, and I daresay in Limerick we are doing that.

There was an incredibly positive announcement during the week, which the Taoiseach referenced, namely, the announcement of a new train station for Moyross. It will be the first new train station in Limerick in a century. It is not just a new train station; it is the first in a network of new train stations. It is a new way of thinking about the development of our city and developing it in a sustainable way around a sustainable transport network. We will see new stations in Ballysimon, Dooradoyle, Patrickswell, Adare, Lisnagry, Corbally and other places. That is the vision we have, and Moyross is very much the start.

I want to reference the OECD report published two weeks ago, which is very relevant to this discussion about cities and their importance in tackling the challenge we face. The OECD report examined transport emissions in Ireland. It found 20% of all of our emissions are related to transport and stated we need to change our system. We cannot tinker around the edges. Rather, we have to think about systems change, which is very challenging. We have thought about the role of electric vehicles. There certainly is a role for electric vehicles, but it is not the primary role in meeting the challenge we face. In any decision we take we have to make sure that we do not reinforce the system we have. The solution to transport emissions, which relates to cities as well as transport between cities, is to change our system completely to public transport and active travel. Again related to Limerick, the work the active travel team is doing is wonderful and it has turned a corner. Some of the schemes it has proposed in Limerick city will be held up as an exemplar for other local authorities in the country to follow.

See this speech in context