Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

I really welcome the opportunity to bring the Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2021 to Second Stage and have it debated here in the Chamber. As we move closer and closer to the 2030 and 2040 targets, as our world becomes more vulnerable and we can see much more clearly the impact of climate change and the need to change how we are operating, this Bill is becoming increasingly important.

This Bill provides for the establishment of a body to be known as An Coimisiún Náisiúnta um Thrasdul Cóir, or, in the English language, the National Just Transition Commission, to oversee the bringing together of workers, communities, employers and government in social dialogue to drive the plans, policies and investments needed for a fair transformation to a low-carbon economy; to require the preparation, by certain prescribed bodies, of just transition plans; to provide for the conferral of other functions on the said body; to amend the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, as amended; and to provide for related matters.

What do we mean when we talk about just transition? I do not particularly like the term "just transition". Many people do not understand it or know what it is about. It actually puts a lot of people off. What we really mean when we talk about it is ensuring that as we move to a more sustainable way of living, no one is left behind and we do not disadvantage anybody by the transformation. It is a really important principle of climate action and climate justice. The Paris Agreement recognised that workers are at the interface of the upheaval that climate change threatens to impose and that states need to adopt a just and fair transition to a zero-carbon economy.

It is a quite technical term and when you start trying to work out exactly who it should be for and what it should mean, you find it gets quite technical. Technically, it means that people, workers and communities who may face significant changes to their lives as a result of the need to move to a zero-carbon society are supported in making those changes. It means a fair deal for workers, farmers, fishers and communities and it means protecting their rights. We cannot have a successful transition without buy-in from all these workers, including those who produce our food, catch our fish and work and live in urban and rural communities. They must feel secure and supported as things around us change. The just transition needs to be across society.

To date, we have had work on a just transition but it has focused primarily on the midlands. It was important to ensure those who worked in Bord na Móna or on the bogs were supported in making the transition. However, what is entailed is so much broader than that area and that cohort of workers. We need to recognise that moving to a more future-proofed economic model will impact everybody in different ways and we have a responsibility to ensure that no one is left behind and that all members of society are in a position to grasp the opportunities a just transition will bring.

Our just transition needs to apply to our farmers as we move away from intensive practices. It needs to apply to our fishers as we implement marine protected areas and better stock management. It needs to apply to our industrial base and our businesses, including those of the mechanics. As we move to a position where we have more electric vehicles, the whole motor industry needs to change, including in respect of workers such as mechanics. Just transition also needs to apply to people who are vulnerable or at risk of energy poverty.

At present, we are seeing huge problems and vulnerabilities when it comes to energy and pricing. We see many families struggling and energy prices going up exponentially. This is not going to go away as we move further into a situation in which we are trying to move away from fossil fuels. People are vulnerable but there is a genuine opportunity to make households more resilient and more self-sufficient when it comes to energy usage.

The Social Democrats have always been very strong proponents of solar power. Solar is one way we can assist in making homes more resilient. There are many changes we can make that would benefit people and our environment at the same time. People need assistance to make the changes and we want and need the Government to step up.

Part of the just transition is providing a mechanism for workers and their communities to hold to account the Government, including its Departments, State agencies and other bodies, in the development and implementation of climate action plans and mitigation and adaptation strategies that underpin our national response to climate change. At present, there is no legal mechanism for workers and their communities to hold just transition policies to account.

The Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, is available to workers, as are the courts, but neither specifically deals with the disruption caused by the transition to a zero-carbon economy and the implications of this for workers’ rights and employment issues. The programme for Government commits to establishing a just transition commissioner on a statutory basis; however, unfortunately this has not been carried out to date.

I welcome the fact that the Government set up a just transition commission. I was very pleased to see that and that its members are very good and strong in their expertise. While it is a very valuable commission, it is not on a statutory footing and so needs a legislative framework. This Bill could lay the foundation for that legal underpinning.

The just transition commission proposed in this Bill would be similar to the WRC. It would bring together workers, communities, employers and the Government into a social dialogue that would drive climate action plans, mitigation plans, adaptation plans, and the policies and investments needed for a quick, fair and just transition to a zero-carbon economy.

If we look to our neighbours across the channel in Scotland, we see a great example to follow. Scotland established its own just transition commission in 2018 with the intention of centring its just transition plans on partnership between those impacted most by the transition to net zero, with co-design and co-delivery at the core. At the start of each year, Scotland’s minister for just transition writes to the commission to inform it of planned government work that can help inform the development of the commission’s work plan. It publishes an annual report on Scotland’s progress and is available to all Scottish ministers who seek its advice and support.

Legislating for the just transition commission in Ireland now would demonstrate a long-term, cross-Government commitment to fairness that survives political cycles and changing Ministers and their respective agendas. We have an opportunity to show that Ireland is serious about a fair transition, not just reacting to the pressures of 2025 but also building a durable structure for the future.

We all know we have significant changes to make, and we all know we have major targets to meet. There is a general acceptance that we will strive to do our best to meet those targets. However, the question of how we meet them is fundamental. We must meet them in a fair and just manner and this must be driven by the Government.

Crucially, this Bill also amends the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 to include, for the first time in Irish legislation, a definition of just transition and its principles. Unfortunately, this was left out of the legislation when we debated it and passed it in the last Dáil. It is a fundamental piece of the information that people need and it needs to be in the legislation to ensure a just transition.

This Bill’s explanatory memorandum defines a just transition as "a transition that ensures the economic, environmental and social consequences of the ecological transformation of economies and societies are managed in ways that maximise opportunities of decent work for all, reduce inequalities, promote social justice, and support industries, workers and communities negatively affected, in accordance with nationally defined priorities, and based on effective social dialogue".

It defines just transition principles as being the importance of taking action to reduce net Irish emissions of greenhouse gases in a way which supports environmentally and socially sustainable jobs, supports zero carbon investment in infrastructure, develops and maintains social consensus, creates decent, fair and high-value work in a way which does not negatively affect the current workforce, and contributes to resource-efficient and sustainable economic approaches which help to address inequality and poverty.

Centring climate action on a just transition approach is a unique opportunity to deliver climate solutions that not only cut emissions but also improve lives by creating better jobs, warmer homes, cleaner air and a more resilient and self-sufficient society. Ultimately, change is scary, and this is a change that is happening to us in Ireland and globally. People are afraid. When we talk about climate change, it is often framed in the negative. When we talk about climate action, people think it will be punitive, will cost them more and will be socially difficult. Ultimately, though, if we get our just transition right, it will lead to a much fairer society where people's homes are warm, there are buses they can take and they work in jobs where they also have a good work-life balance. This is about moving to a much better, much fairer way of living.

Without stronger commitment from Government and a clear strategy for just transition, the potential for an unjust transition in Ireland will continue to grow. Since 2021, just transition has become central to national and international climate governance. The case for embedding fairness into climate action has never been stronger. In the coming years, we will be asking a great deal of society in order to meet our climate targets and to respond to the realities of climate change. Public awareness of inequality and vulnerability linked to climate policy is at an all-time high, creating political and social momentum for action. With major climate policies, change is being rolled out across energy, transport, buildings and agriculture. This is our chance to ensure that fairness is built in from the get-go. Ireland has an opportunity to show that climate action can improve lives, strengthen communities and build a fair economy, rather than deepen inequality. As Ireland makes the shift from planning to implementation, it is crucial that we embed fairness into the foundation of Ireland's climate response and see ambitious, science-based targets and social justice not as competing priorities but, rather, as two sides of the same coin.

There is no reason that the Government should oppose the progression of this Bill. I hope the Minister of State will be able to support it. I acknowledge the work of Sinéad Mercier, who worked with me on this Bill in the previous term. I know she worked with Eamon Ryan on this Bill. I acknowledge the unions, which contributed greatly when we first developed this Bill. This is important legislation and I hope the Minister of State gives it full consideration.

See this speech in context