Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Five years ago, the Paris Agreement on climate change was signed. Yesterday, three reports were published, which I read last night. Their findings did not help me to sleep. These were the World Meteorological Organization's State of the Global Climate 2020 report, the UNESCO report on conservation of nature and The Lancetreport on health and climate change. I will outline why some of the findings are particularly frightening. It has emerged that global emissions must fall by 7.6% each year from now until 2030 if we are to remain below the 1.5°C increase that is necessary to avoid some of the disastrous consequences we keep hearing about. Arctic sea levels were at record lows and April and August.

This year, there have been 30 named Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes, which is another record. Just like Covid-19, we found that vulnerable groups are now most at risk from climate change, particularly the elderly and those with respiratory diseases such as asthma. Conditions conducive to the spread of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever continue to develop. In the south Pacific region, the conditions for malaria have now spread to an area that is 150% greater than it was in the 1950s. We have seen the stories internationally about droughts and wildfires. Here we have seen particular challenges with floods. Climate change now threatens one third of the world's natural heritage sites. People know about the Coral Reef. Those who know Australia will be very familiar with the Blue Mountains, where much of the natural heritage is under threat.

I know the Government is making major moves with regard to clean energy sources and the introduction of the just transition programme which we have mentioned in this House. The Joint Committee on Climate Action under the chairmanship of Deputy Leddin is doing excellent work on the climate change legislation. However, I do not think we are taking this seriously enough. The recovery from Covid-19 presents us with an opportunity to address the greatest existential challenge we now face, namely, that of climate change. It is not enough for just the Joint Committee on Climate Action to debate these issues. The Dáil and Seanad should debate climate change. We should have an approach to it similar to the approach to Covid-19 both nationally and internationally. This threatens our very existence. In the five years since the signing of the Paris Agreement, there has, unfortunately, been very little progress.