Seanad debates

Friday, 9 July 2021

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages

 

9:30 am

Photo of Paul GavanPaul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am open to withdrawing amendment No. 6 if we can reach agreement on amendment No. 7. The Minister will be aware that we discussed this last week. It is disappointing that the Bill does not contain a definition of "just transition". It is a serious missed opportunity. I hope he will consider the wording we put forward with colleagues from across the Opposition, because what we have done collectively across the Opposition is try to work towards a consensus, which we achieved.

The Green Party has talked the talk on a just transition but we have yet to see it walk the walk. Unfortunately, judging the Minister on his actions, it is clear that he is not serious about a just transition. First, the initial version of the Bill did not even mention just transition. The redraft mentioned it once but without defining it and with the proviso, "in so far as practicable", rendering the provisions relating to the just transition meaningless. Then, when Sinn Féin and others offered constructive, practical suggestions based on the working Scottish example, the Minister rejected them. That includes the Sinn Féin amendment to define a just transition, which copied wording verbatim from the Green Party's 2018 climate justice Bill. If that was not satisfactory for him, it is hard to know what would be.

To top it all off, on Committee Stage the Minister opted for the one amendment by the Green Party Senators to change the Title in yet another inconsequential, tokenistic gesture towards a just transition. One of the reasons given by Government Senators for not accepting amendments to define critical issues such as the just transition and climate justice is there is no definition on which we could all agree. I am pleased to say the Opposition has united around a singular definition.It is time for the Minister to walk the walk when it comes to the just transition. I hope he will accept this wording.

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