Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Independent Group on bringing forward this important motion on fossil fuel divestment. It is an important part of the just transition conversation. However, in a cost-of-living crisis where approximately one third of Irish households are in energy poverty, and 59% of my Clare constituents have no renewable energy sources in their homes, just transition is a tough one to swallow with little incentive from this Government, and little mention of it for communities. There is little in terms of alternatives, and little for communities to buy into. The Government needs to be cognisant of the creation and building of resentment with the lack of just transition. Communities have been left in the dark with no mention or focus on those who live in material deprivation, and who cannot afford to heat their homes now. Poorly administered SEAI grants do not make a climate strategy. I support recent calls from Social Justice Ireland for the State to do three practical things. The first is to develop a national retrofitting strategy of scale to deep-retrofit the entire housing stock within a 20-year timeframe, using green funding to bolster our construction sector and increase capacity. The second is a building renovation passport scheme integrated into the strategy with a step-by-step approach to retrofitting. It would prove more financially appealing and manageable for families. Finally, we must upgrade the national grid as a matter of urgency, so we can reap the benefits of floating offshore capacity. It will mean that every farm, home and business in rural Ireland has the potential to become self-sustaining and in a position to sell excess energy back to the grid. That is something I hear constantly from farmers in Clare. The Loop Head Peninsula was recently designated Clare's pilot decarbonisation zone. The community there understands that the fuel sources we currently use are not the most sustainable. We need significant financial investment from the Government into decarbonising rural communities in Clare and across Ireland. The Clare Public Participation Network recently launched its report on just transition. I invite all colleagues, particularly the Minister, to read it at clareppn.ie.

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