Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I reiterate my Labour Party colleague's support for the Bill. We broadly agree with the principle of developing a €500 million climate action fund from the proceeds of an existing levy paid by all companies and using it for climate action projects to decarbonise the economy. It is not, however, a suitable long-term plan to fund our climate action plans from revenue collected from burning fossil fuels. It is important that a long-term strategy is put in place to fund the climate action plan sustainably. I reiterate Senator Higgins's point that this fund cannot be the limit of our ambition.

As mentioned earlier, the greatest concern for the Labour Party is that workers and households do not bear the brunt or costs of moving to a sustainable economy. There can be no climate justice without social justice. We must ensure a just transition to a low-carbon economy. The State must ensure job guarantees to any worker who faces a potential job loss due to the climate action plan. We must ensure workers in high-emission industries will have reskilling opportunities, retraining and alternative employment. A just transition must be ensured for all regions in Ireland. There is massive concern currently in the midlands in particular around jobs. We must invest in State enterprises such as the ESB, Coillte and Bord na Móna to create new sustainable jobs in clean energy, recycling and land management. I wish to highlight that Bord na Móna is investing in taking people off the milling of peat and moving them into the rehabilitation of peatlands. Will the Minister confirm today that a just transition for workers will be central to the climate action plan? It is crucial and it creates great anxiety for many people. Professor Hans Bruyninckx, director of the European Environment Agency, has outlined that:

A socially just transition planned and implemented over a long term is the only way forward to build a resilient society with a strong and sustainable economy. Moreover, the investments we will make to mitigate the economic impacts of this [Covid-19] crisis should be, and can be, fully aligned with our long-term sustainability goals.

The only way to ensure we have a strong and stable economy is to bring every worker with us. With this change comes great opportunity and this fund will be essential as we look forward. Workers are essential to the just transition to a sustainable green economy. For every penny spent out of this fund we must look at how to mitigate the climate crisis, invest in communities to ensure they are living green and ensure every worker has a sustainable future.