Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know we are very tight on time so I will try to be as brief as possible. I put on record my firm support for this legislation.I congratulate Deputy Pringle on initiating the Bill. I welcome our guests in the Visitors Gallery and I especially thank Ms Selina Donnelly of Trócaire who has worked tirelessly and passionately on this issue. She is an amazing woman. I hope the Bill will continue to have cross-party support as it progresses through the Houses to enable it to become law urgently.

Dealing with issues urgently is not something parliaments do well. If we are serious about tackling climate change, we need to act quickly and radically. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, report caused alarm around the world, as it should. Scientists are doing their job in presenting the evidence that we are destroying our natural environment and citizens are doing their job in demanding action, in particular the fossil fuel divestment movement, which was initiated and driven by networks of student activists throughout the world, including in Trinity College. I note Senators Ruane and Higgins were front and centre in this regard during their time in Trinity College.

It is time for politicians in Ireland and round the world to do their jobs. Let this Bill be a watershed moment. Let it mark the point at which the Oireachtas recognised the urgency of the situation and committed to radical changes in how we live. Let this be the start of a series of Government Bills based on a just transition to a green economy and serious investment in renewable energy sources. We have a moral duty to our children, grandchildren and future generations to move back from the brink and to safeguard our planet. The Taoiseach famously stated that we are a laggard on this issue but we do not have to be. Let us listen to the climate advisory committee and make the radical changes needed to hit our targets under the Paris Agreement. Climate change is the biggest issue facing the world. It threatens our very existence and also worsens global inequality in that its impact is felt most by poorer communities who have done the least to cause it and are least equipped to tackle it. Let Ireland be a leader on climate change by taking this first step in divestment, but going much further as a matter of urgency.