Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

We are running out of time to stop the climate crisis becoming a catastrophe. Every day, every equivocation and every cowardly U-turn makes that work so much harder. We know that people in Ireland are especially worried about the impact of climate change. We only need to look at the recent flooding events in Midleton to get a glimpse of what the future holds. According to new research from the Environmental Protection Agency today, three quarters of people believe that extreme weather poses a risk to their communities. Much of our population lives by the coast or by rivers and they see that rising sea levels and flooding pose risks to their homes, farms and futures. This is why a large majority of people, 79%, say that climate should be a high priority for the Government.

This Government claims that climate is a high priority but time and again we see that the Government's climate rhetoric far exceeds climate action. Government MEPs voted for the nature restoration law in the EU this week. Simultaneously, we have had two separate reports in the past week alone that confirm the Government is nowhere near meeting its targets. The European Commission says Ireland will only reach one quarter of the emissions cuts we need. The Climate Change Advisory Council states the Government is nowhere near meeting the targets it set out for its first carbon budget. When we inevitably miss those legally binding targets in 2030 the country faces the prospect of up to €8 billion in fines from the EU. Imagine what €8 billion could do to improve our biodiversity, expand public transport systems across the country and protect the future of Irish agriculture.

We are so far behind where we need to be now that making up ground will be extremely difficult. At the pace this Government is moving, it will be impossible. Climate action requires more than plans laid out in glossy brochures and watered down legislation. It requires actually implementing measures that will make a real difference and it means doing so quickly. We cannot wait until next month or next year to start this work. We need climate action yesterday. Instead, this Government is knowingly setting us up for failure. We all know that doing nothing is not an option but equally not doing enough is not an option either. Will the Minister outline what changes the Government will make to avoid this impending disaster and meet our climate targets?

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