Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Climate action, or more particularly, climate inaction is probably the most pressing issue facing humanity. Prior to the arrival of the pandemic, the debate about climate action had the status of a college debate especially for those not closely involved in it and whole positions of authority in Government or influence in business - swot up on the facts, make an impressive and passionate speech, wipe one's brow, take a deep breath, feel good about one's comments and carry on as before, until the next time one is called on for a repeat performance. That approach was never acceptable but it is even less acceptable now.

A friend of a friend, who has spent his entire life protecting and enhancing nature and the natural world, gave his view of the pandemic that nature perceives humans as being out to destroy it and it is fighting back. He might be right or he might be wrong, but there is something profoundly wrong in the relationship between humankind and Mother Earth. The pandemic is symbolic of that dysfunctional relationship. We need only note the wildfires that swept through Australia and California last year, that hurricanes and storms increase with record-breaking speeds and frequency, as have scorching temperatures. Scientists are telling us that these are not freaks of nature but are a reaction by nature to climate change induced by humans.

My colleagues have and will respond in detail to the climate action Bill before the House today but in my contribution, I suggest we lift our gaze beyond this State, which this Bill is designed to influence. Let us look at how we, as a nation with two governments, one here and the other in the North, are handling our collective responsibility when it comes to protecting the Earth through decisions taken which affect Ireland, North and South. All politics on this island are affected by partition and all solutions to those problems are bound up in ending partition, and that is the beginning and end of how republicans approach politics. We are also realistic and know that, while we endeavour to bring about a united Ireland, there are actions we can take now to improve the quality of peoples' lives, whether that is in relation to housing, jobs, the Irish language and health, to name a few.There are actions that can rightly be described as being neutral on the question of this country's independence but are not neutral on providing people, irrespective of their political aspirations, with the best quality of life available to them. That is how I believe that both Governments must approach the issue of climate action within their respective spheres of influence on this island. We need actions which might be deemed as neutral on the constitutional question but which are not neutral on the question of saving the planet and protecting the earth from damage by humans. If the pandemic has taught us anything, and by now it should have taught us a hell of a lot, it is that for the virus there are no borders, here in Ireland, between here and Britain and, indeed, in the rest of the world. To combat the virus there can be no borders. That is also true of the crisis we face of our impact on the climate and the earth. The Irish Government and the North's Executive should agree to jointly plan their contribution to protecting our planet. The key elements of that plan should be the restoration and preservation of the rights of nature, to recognise the integral value of the natural world, the right of citizens to clean air and water and protecting life-giving systems on earth. They should act in tandem when planning what is called the just transition from where we are now to where we need to get to in order to prevent an ecological breakdown and a degradation of the biosphere, that is, the earth's environment in its totality. They should act in unison and swiftly towards a net-zero carbon society while continuing to provide good quality employment, stimulate the economy and addressing inequalities in our society. Both Governments can take a positive message out of the integrated single electricity market which operates on an all-Ireland basis and which is sold and distributed throughout all of Ireland. The experience of generating electricity on an all-Ireland basis should be extended to the transport network and heating systems with a focus on renewable technologies and energy sources across the country. There is no doubt that we require a profound shift in how we live in all spheres of our lives to avoid what scientists are calling an ecological disaster. We do not have an option. Given what we have been through in the last 18 months as we responded to the pandemic to stay alive and protect humanity, we can no longer say we cannot fundamentally change our ways because we did and we can do it again, and I am sure the Minister will agree that we must.