During Order of Business in the Seanad, Senator Pauline O’Reilly, leader of the Greens in the Seanad, said that:
“In light of all of this I find it alarming that today, of all days, is the day that Sinn Féin called for more consultation on the Climate Action Plan…we have to see all politicians step up to the mark for the sake of our country and our world and demonstrate leadership. Not only did they throw shade on the Climate Action Plan, but again this week of all weeks they wanted to put a Bill before the Dáil that would effectively stop wind energy turbines from being built on land in Ireland! They withdrew it. No doubt because of the push back. I don’t like saying this, but I think it is incumbent on us who care about the environment to call out this lack of commitment, this populism. We’ve done it when it comes to the media and we will do it when it comes to the opposition. They too must play their part.”
In her contribution she said “These two weeks are critical for our future. In advance of COP26, one thing was clear from the IPCC report – every single thing we do matters.
“All over this country our citizens and our inhabitants are calling for action to reverse climate breakdown. Children have been taking to our streets for years pleading with politicians. Small farmers that I speak to know that the future is a future based on a greener product and a resilient food system and they have felt powerless. And what of the business sector, well this week we have Chambers Ireland calling for a dramatic change, change that is not incremental but hits the fast forward button. They say that our economy needs it and they are right. But let’s be honest, we also need it for our health and we need it for the many species on this earth that depend on us doing the right thing. Not least for the survival of our own species and for peace on this planet, because make no mistake war, migration, and famine will escalate without it”.
O’Reilly continued “I returned from Pre-COP in Rome a couple of weeks ago and felt some amount of despair. I spoke to delegates from some of the countries most impacted by Climate Chaos and yet who have done little to bring about this collapse. There was message after message of solidarity, but I had to wonder whether all trust had broken down. Broken down because the developed world failed to live up to its Climate Finance obligations under the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, of giving €100 billion a year to developing nations. Broken down because the developed world even failed to follow through on a TRIPPS waiver when it came to the pandemic.
“But over these past few days, as I and other parliamentarians prepare to go to COP in Glasgow, I do feel hope. We have to feel hope. It is what the IPCC report calls for and the very fact that today I heard the Taoiseach give an unequivocal commitment in an interview on Morning Ireland, gives me that hope. Because the actions of politicians will in large part define what happens next for the future of our species. Today he is telling the world that Ireland will double its climate finance to developing nations by 2025. But the biggest contribution that we will make as a country will be to reduce our emissions, as one of the highest emitting nations in the EU. How we will do this will be laid down the Climate Action Plan”.
She concluded “In light of all of this I do finding it alarming that today of all days is the day that Sinn Féin called for more consultation on the climate action plan. There will of course be consultation but we have to see all politicians step up to the mark for the sake of our country and our world and demonstrate leadership. Not only did they throw shade on the Climate Action Plan, but again this week of all weeks they wanted to put a Bill before the Dáil that would effectively stop wind energy turbines from being built on land in Ireland. They withdrew it. No doubt because of the push back. I don’t like saying this, but I think it is incumbent on us who care about the environment to call out this lack of commitment, this populism. We’ve done it when it comes to the media and we will do it when it comes to the opposition. They too must play their part”.