Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Here we go again. Met Éireann has just issued a status yellow weather warning for the coming weekend and, in addition, a status yellow rainfall warning. The Government sought reductions in Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions targets by 2020 in Luxembourg earlier this week. It is slinking away again from our commitments to our European and global partners. We know from Met Éireann and Professor John Sweeney that the intensity of hurricanes, storms and bad weather patterns will increase as time passes as a result of greenhouse gas-induced global warming. Will the Leader ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment - or so-called climate action because we are not seeing a lot of it - to come to the House to explain the impact climate change and global warming will have on the economy and businesses and on society and communities in respect of flooding, droughts and so on? The Taoiseach said this is the number one issue we have to deal with in this country and we are not facing up to it. The Minister and the Department go to Europe and they slink around and use double speak while cutting poor deals for this country. The people are experiencing storms and the impact they are having and we need to face up to the reality before us. I would like the Minister to be called to the House once again to discuss climate change, global warming and its impact on Ireland.