Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Even then we were starting to hear of the concept of climate change and the impact it would have on small Pacific nations and also throughout Europe. Here in Ireland, we see it in many shapes and forms.

I believe we may be approaching the perfect storm because we have the issue of climate change, which is high on the agenda, Brexit, Mr. Trump becoming President of the United States, and the result of the recent referendum in Italy. It appears that there is a huge storm looming, and it is particularly pertinent in respect of climate change.

I am pleased that we are addressing the issue of climate change more in Ireland. The Minister has a genuine interest in the area. Following the recent COP22 climate meeting in Marrakesh, the Paris Agreement is now fully in effect, which is very welcome. Finally, the world seems to have woken up to the scale of the problem facing us, even if some people in the Dáil appear to be asleep in this regard. There is a commitment to taking action, albeit action that is not equal to the task of holding a rise in temperatures to 1.5o. In the case of Ireland, we have clearly fallen at the first hurdle and we look ridiculous internationally because we have failed so abysmally. The political progress is to be welcomed, but it is not fast enough, especially in terms of the impact of climate change on future generations.

The Paris Agreement commits us all to tackling not just the low hanging fruit of climate policy, much of which has already been taken. We now need to delve deeper into our reserves not only of renewable energy but also of ingenuity, creativity, innovation and resolve.

Taking strong action to tackle Ireland’s contribution to this global problem contains as much potential for development and growth as it does sacrifice and challenge. A renewed Irish economy, freed from the shackles of increasing greenhouse gas emissions, truly seems to be within our reach. Last year, the EU’s economy saw modest growth. However, for the first time ever, it was accompanied not with the usual attendant increase in emissions but rather a further decrease in those emissions. The EU is on course to meet its collective commitments under the 2020 climate and energy package, and there is a sense that Government policy can and does have the desired effect of lowering our impact on the climate. A carbon neutral Ireland can be a greener, more pleasant land and a country filled with jobs in renewable energies, to which the Minister alluded, green technology, research and development and renewable transport systems that enhance our communities and improve our health and well-being.

Currently, we have imports of fossil fuels of approximately €6.5 billion, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Our current fossil fuel based economy is instead delivering shorter lifespans, negative health impacts, an unhealthy obsession with the combustion engine and a fuel bill of €6.5 billion for the Irish economy each year. That is a massive drain on our balance of payments and a huge waste of public money. Oil prices are currently low in historical terms, but we know from the early 2000s that this will change again after an extended period of economic growth, as we are currently seeing in Ireland, or if current hints at production controls from OPEC prove to be founded.

Greenhouse gas emissions are almost always found accompanying other forms of pollution. Car emissions are coupled with dangerous levels of particulate matter. Power plants release many different types of air pollutants, and we are only now learning the true effects of marine and aviation air pollution on human health. Changing the way we organise our society is not a burden. It is an incredible opportunity to address many issues. A more communal approach to energy and to transport can contribute to a more cohesive and active community spirit throughout the country.

We are seeing across the world the dangerous effect that increased carbon dioxide is having on the marine environment. I refer to the coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Climate change mitigation is the ultimate in risk assessment. One universal truth we have learned throughout the process of learning more about climate change is that its effects can never be fully anticipated.

Currently in Ireland, the ratio of spending on car versus active transport, that is, cycling and walking, is dangerously skewed towards the car. Ireland does have special circumstances, namely, a dispersed population and lower densities, but this cannot be addressed by adding to the problem with Government investment. Sadly, to date, the Minister's colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, has shown no appreciation of that fact and no intention of amending this long-standing policy.

Despite progress, our energy model remains hopelessly mired in some of the oldest, dirtiest and least efficient methods of energy generation. The ESB is planning to continue burning peat until 2030. Renewable energy plans remain limited to large-scale wind developments, and there is little to no scope for the inclusion of the community sector in small and medium-scale energy generation.

Ireland has long touted itself as the greenest beef producer in the world, but being the best at producing food inefficiently is problematic, to say the least. It takes many times the energy, water, labour and other inputs to produce calories as meat as it does through any other method. Less than 1% of Irish farms are actively involved in the growing of fruit and vegetables, resulting in massive energy-wasting imports from the rest of Europe and elsewhere. We need to have a mature debate on the effects that such inequalities have on our soil, our climate and our farming communities.

Ireland has not lived up to its international role on the global stage either. Last year, we had to observe the indignity of the leader of our country going to the Paris climate talks to plead for special treatment for Ireland.

Irish citizens can and will play their fair part with regard to the issue of climate change. Ireland must live up to the rhetoric. That means nothing less than a radical transformation of the way we organise our society, plan our cities, farm in our rural areas and produce our power. We need to see the Irish Government taking true action.

I agree with Senator McDowell. What he said is aspirational. I am concerned that what we have today is not sufficient for the size and the scale of the problem of climate change facing Ireland, Europe and the world.