Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We have been working with the trade union movement and others for many years now on defining, understanding and delivering what a just transition is as we make our transition to a zero-carbon future. My sense of this over the years has been that much of it is about jobs and employment. The unions have a particular role. We believe in working with trade unions in social partnership. However, it is not only unions. It is also about the farming community and other communities. We should not be too quick to define exactly how communities are being impacted or adversely affected. It is about protecting immediately those companies and jobs that are at risk.

Deputy Gavan asked that I respond on what wording was different. I was thinking in terms of amendment No. 15. The amendment suggested we should try to keep jobs in the new economy that are as decent and well paid as those left behind. I believe we have to aim for better paid jobs. We should be going for better paid jobs. The current economic model is not delivering for many people, especially in jobs where the green economy will deliver, including construction, retrofitting, managing our land and the energy sector. There is an incredible opportunity to create a better economy as well as responding to those who are adversely affected.

Deputy Gavan made reference to another point. Let us consider the history of the Green Party going back over many years. I had the great privilege of meeting one of the founders of the Tasmanian Greens, one of the founding and first green parties. My experience in dealing with green parties throughout the world, in every country, is of a common understanding of four key principles of green politics. One is that we are facing an ecological crisis. This pre-empts the needs to transition out of that. It is a fundamental change that is needed. This has not been recognised historically by others, although increasingly it may be recognised by other political philosophies. In any event, it is in the green political philosophy. The second key principle is that in the transition we ensure social justice and ecological justice go hand in hand.

The third principle of green politics is pacifism. We come from anti-war roots and that is deeply ingrained in our psyche.This includes respectful politics, by which I mean showing respect to other political philosophies. The last of these four principles is a belief in democratic politics, engagement and democratic participation. This involves trusting people to make decisions at the lowest effective level. These are the four principles that are ingrained in the Green Party. That fourth one concerning participation and engagement includes social dialogue. I had the honour of attending the national economic dialogue late last week. We also met representatives of the social pillar last week. Our views are ingrained in Government in no small way. Ours is one of the main political philosophies in the world today. There is a Green Party in every single country. In many countries, we are increasingly seen as mainstream and as representing a very large percentage of the population, which I hope to deliver here as well. Social justice and ecological justice very much go hand in hand.

Our time was limited in the Dáil debate because there is a problem. We need to get the Bill passed because Government needs to start delivering the just transition in reality. We are operating on a very tight legislative timeline to deliver that before this summer session comes to an end. The debate was primarily around whether to include wording supporting a just transition in the Long Title to the Bill. That was the key item discussed in the Dáil. Reflecting on that and on the words of Senator Pauline O'Reilly, which I agree with because they come from a similar political philosophy, I intend to accept amendment No. 142, which the Senator and her colleagues have tabled. I am afraid I cannot accept the other amendments.