Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the MEPs to this important debate and engagement with Members of the European Parliament. Frances Fitzgerald, MEP, is no stranger to this House. I thank her and Ciarán Cuffe, MEP, and Barry Andrews, MEP, very much for coming here today to engage with Senators who are coming in and will ask questions. As the MEPs well know, as legislators, people have other committee work but they will be coming in as the session proceeds.

I also thank former President, Mary Robinson, for her call to action: for the Seanad to be a leading voice in climate action and climate justice. We have engaged with MEPs over the past year and a bit, and one of the things we heard back from them is that they want to have themes and to focus on various areas. It is very appropriate, given Mary Robinson's call to action as a challenge to Seanad Éireann at the launch of Seanad 100, that we would look at that particular area. Our MEPs and Europe are taking a leading role in that very important topic. She wants it to be an everyday topic because it is affecting us every day of the week. It is affecting countries across the entire world. People are dying at this very moment because of climate change. We in Europe - in Ireland in particular - must see what we can do to address the issue. I came across a quote in regard to it to the effect that people want climate action and climate justice but they do not necessarily want to take action themselves in a way that would change the outcome that we are heading towards if we do not take the action. The quote: "The single raindrop never feels responsible for the flood". In the same way, we all have a role to play when it comes to climate change. I thank the MEPs for being here.

The Leas-Chathaoirleach is our man in Europe. He takes a leading role in regard to this particular engagement. I thank all concerned. The opening address will be by Barry Andrews, MEP. He has eight minutes.