Seanad debates

Wednesday, 19 January 2011

Climate Change Response Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed)

 

1:00 pm

Photo of Niall Ó BrolcháinNiall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

It is time to stop the contortions. The reality is we need the Climate Change Response Bill. We need to play our part in the world. This is not just about little Ireland; this is about the world. We do not exist independently of the rest of the world. People can say China pollutes but that country is working very hard to reduce its carbon emissions. I do not want Ireland to lag behind China. We should be a first world economy and country that is proud to step up as a nation of the first world. I do not like to see what is going on economically and would not like to see what would happen were we not to take on board the green new deal, the opportunities presented by it, and the opportunities presented for a food island in the Food Harvest 2020 document in tandem with the climate change targets, which are possible if we put our brains to it. We have plenty brains in this country, as Senators will agree. We can achieve the targets. They are there to be achieved and if they are not achieved, we are failures, but we are not tied by the targets. The targets for various sectors of our economy do exactly what it says on the tin. These are targets we must aim for and this is the correct way to do business. The targets have been diluted by the Cabinet from the consensus position of the committee. I would prefer to see the committee's targets in this Bill and if Fine Gael wants to return the targets to the consensus of the committee, I will support it. Similarly, if Fianna Fáil sees sense and decides to increase the targets, that would be great. We can achieve the targets in a way other Senators referred to, by using our brains and introducing electric cars, wind power and ensuring agriculture is sustainable and maximises profits. We must ensure we do not rely on pollution by oil, which is running out. There is not an endless supply of oil in the world and price is increasing enormously. I do not want to see farmers having to rely solely on oil-based agriculture, which is what happens at the moment. It will be highly detrimental to the future of farming.

I worked in the agriculture sector for many years. I worked with companies such as Virginia Milk Products in Cavan. That company makes enormous environmental efforts and has managed to reduce emissions. It produces the cream for Bailey's Irish Cream and does a fantastic job. That is the sort of agriculture I want to see in this country. The Minister of State, Deputy Mary White, has examined ethanol production in the Irish sugar beet sector and would like to see bio-fuels introduced. We must be inventive. The key challenge facing us is to ensure we have a better economy by meeting the targets. The two are possible together. Perhaps Barack Obama, Ban Ki-moon and hundreds of other world leaders are wrong but I do not believe they are. This country should step up to the first world plate and pass the Climate Change Response Bill. If a number of small tweaks have to be made, so be it. We can do that and it needs to be done gently and slowly but before the end of this Government. If not, it will represent a major missed opportunity.

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