Results 1,961-1,980 of 4,573 for speaker:Brian Leddin

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: In my experience, it is not the marginalised communities who resist. They are embracing it because they often tend to benefit from climate action, such as with increased bus services. Mobility is a huge issue when it comes to climate and social justice. It is the middle-class communities. What is the role of the PPN? That is middle Ireland, not marginalised Ireland.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: I will not name the projects but town halls across the country fill night after night with middle-class communities, not marginalised communities. Ms Clancy's network represents them as well. It represents 18,000 voluntary groups. Many of them are utterly resistant. I 100% take the point that the way we do consultation as a State is not fit for purpose and we have to rethink that and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: That is why they are resistant. They do not want any change but climate change has to happen.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: I know from my own experience that the buy-in from marginalised communities is stronger but that will not cut it. We need change across all communities in urban and rural Ireland. It is a point that frustrates me. They say they believe in climate action, that what is happening in Pakistan and Africa and the droughts are terrible and that they have always voted Green - I get that one a lot...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: It is not everything. There could be policy coherence and still elected representatives for Government and Opposition parties use these necessary changes as wedge issues and political issues to whip up fear to resist necessary change. The PPN is potentially an incredibly powerful network for rallying the voices that understand change needs to happen and getting the political buy-in for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: Arguably, we do not have the time for trials or pilots, either. We have set an incredibly ambitious target. There is an incredible conflict between what we are trying to do and the resistance to the measures necessary to do it and getting buy-in. I do not know the answer. It was important to set the ambitious target because it forces these conversations but we are not quite there. There...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: Do we have to accept that fairness is not the most important thing? I think Oisín Coghlan said last year we are beyond the question of fairness. First, we do not live in a fair society anyway. We are privileged in Ireland compared with those most impacted by climate change. Fairness went out the window a long time ago. If we were to be fair about it, we would have much more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: I am conscious that I am taking all the time. If any of my colleagues want to contribute at any point, they should raise their hand.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: It is not just from the very start because, if it were just, the targets would be much more ambitious than they are.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: It is about the principle. I realise it is very challenging but the house is on fire. When the house is on fire, maybe you have to clobber somebody over the head to drag him out. It is that serious. We see playing out in real time what we face in the next few years. I refer to catastrophic impacts across the world. We are seeing them close to home as well. The time is now; it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: I agree that we are not going to get quick action unless we do everything we possibly can to bring people with us. The two elements are pulling against each other, however. Doing everything we possibly can takes time and processes. The key milestone of 2030 involves a 50% cut based on 2018 levels, so-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: The Galway ring road is damaging from a climate perspective but if you were to follow the discussion on it, you would note that 99% of people say that view is not right because they are stuck in traffic that is not fair on them and that they need the road. How do we get the 99% on board?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: Ardnacrusha was a top-down project.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: There are considerable issues over consultation-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: The dispersed population is a considerable challenge in the context of delivering rural public transport.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: The dispersed population makes it very hard to provide services.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: The cost for the State to provide public transport in a society that is widely dispersed and to send buses up every boreen in the country would be prohibitive. At the other end of the spectrum-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: Other countries plan. They have populations in villages, towns and cities. That is the cost-optimal way of providing the service. They have good networks and provide an every village, every hour level of service. There is considerable resistance to that model of settlement in Ireland. The State is trying to take the lead by saying we cannot have one-off houses all over the place.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: The vast majority of councillors up and down the country will pull against the State's objective of trying to consolidate planning.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Irish Experience of Community-led Climate Action: Public Participation Networks (8 Nov 2022)

Brian Leddin: That approach is being taken in respect of new housing. They are arguing for new housing for people who are living in-----