Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Tá fáilte roimh an Aire. Is lá stairiúil atá ann inniu. Tugann an Bille seo an-bhród dom agus tá mo chroí lán le dóchas ar an lá seo.

It is a historic day. My heart is full of hope for the first time in a long time. A lot of work has been done to get us this far. Input has come from every angle and everybody, from green schools to NGOs. Many people have been involved in many ways. There was a citizens' assembly on climate change. Today represents a win for everyone.

From my own rural perspective, I see farmers with too much fodder one year and not enough the next. We had to import fodder two years in a row. Farmers were cutting hay outside Shannon Airport when there were extreme weather conditions. There are extreme weather patterns. That is what climate change is. It is extreme weather patterns that are changing and unpredictable. We saw the devastation in Germany over recent days. Climate change has come home. It has never been too far away. It is not just about it being something that is an issue elsewhere. It is here and it is going to affect everybody in every way.

This Bill is finally putting in place structures in this country that will have to be followed in every single Department in every way to ensure we do all we can to protect this country of ours. We must protect not just the environment but the people who live here so that they are ready to face the challenges associated with extreme weather conditions. Lots of land near where I live has been flooded repeatedly, which means cattle cannot feed and farmers have to keep their cattle inside for longer. The issues have affected me greatly at a rural level, which is why I got into politics, to be honest. I was always an environmental activist and did a lot of human rights work. Then I realised climate change is also a local issue. Perhaps that is not always understood. This Bill is going to change everything in every way but it is for the greater good. We have seen the destruction of our water, wildlife and farm life. Everything has deteriorated because of climate change and the change in weather patterns. Farmers often contact me to ask if rules can be changed because, previously, you could only do some work during the summer but now that does not work anymore. We have all seen our weather patterns becoming much more erratic.

Actions speak louder than words. This Bill is a huge win for environmental activists who have thrown their hat into the political ring to see if they can make a difference inside as well as outside the system. I have often attended protests outside the gates of Leinster House. I went to a Shut Down Sellafield event. I started the Fracking Free Clare campaign. It has been a risk for me to see if we can affect change on the inside as well. There is still a lot of scepticism about what happens inside these gates. Some of that scepticism is lost when I see this valuable climate Bill being passed. I look forward to seeing the President of Ireland signing this very important Bill into law, not just for nature, but for all the people of this country. I thank the Minister and the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action and all the parties and the Opposition, who put in a lot of work, did late nights and scrutinised the legislation to ensure this is the strongest and most useful Bill with which to serve the people as we face this significant challenge of the climate emergency.