Martin Brady (Fianna Fail)

I agree with many of the Minister's comments to this House. All sections of society have a role to play. I will not repeat what everybody has said. We all know the challenges facing the world due to climate change. State agencies and trade unions must get involved. People will have to change how they behave at home and at work. We cannot bulldoze into this. These people must be consulted and made aware. As a former trade unionist I have discovered many times that Irish people do not like change. If one moved a person from the bottom to the top floor, there was protest. One must create awareness and bring people along.

Senator Hannigan mentioned public transport and he is correct. The public transport in my area is good. However, CIE and other agencies such as local authorities are not playing their part with measures such as park and ride facilities to encourage people to use public transport.

Senator Walsh made a point about waste of energy, particularly where lights are left on in buildings all day. In my house I see the children leaving lights, radios and televisions on all day. We must provide a schools education programme. We can only bring people along if we raise their awareness. I congratulate the Department of Defence, which is inspecting its buildings with a view to having stand-alone systems in each room whereby lights and heating automatically switch on and off when a person enters and leaves. That is welcome. Companies such as Eircom and State agencies such as Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus must be consulted. That involves discussions with trade unions. We could trigger strikes if we embark on changes without making people aware of what we are doing.

I have strong views on pollution, as Senator O'Reilly knows. I am from Cavan and I fish there. Farmers and factories can put rivers and lakes out of commission for years by polluting them. This has a significant effect on global warming and climate change and has a detrimental effect on soil. However, the fines are so small that they make no difference to the polluters. The fine for pollution is approximately €500, which is a pittance. We do not want to take sudden harsh measures but we must teach people that this is no longer acceptable, that we must change how we behave at work and at home. We must involve people.

This is a major problem worldwide and we have to catch up because events have run ahead of us. Ireland must play its part. The Government has outlined what it intends to do, and I will not repeat it, as everybody is aware of it. This demands all-party agreement and an all-party approach. We cannot make this a political issue. This is for future generations as well as this one. If we do not work cohesively we will face disaster.