Email your Dáil candidates before the Election

The last Dáil achieved unprecedented cross-party consensus on climate change. A majority of TDs signed the Stop Climate Chaos "Climate Commitment" which pledged their support for a strong climate law. A cross-party Oireachtas committee drafted an agreed climate Bill. The Government responded with their own Bill, one stress-tested by the civil service and agreed by Cabinet. With the political turmoil of the last few months there wasn't adequate time for either Bill to be properly debated in the Dáil or become law.

Power is in your hands now

Now we have to make sure that the momentum for a law, and the cross-party support, is not lost because of the election. The groundwork has been done - the new Government could easily pass a fair and effective climate law by the end of this year.

Voters are never more powerful than at election time. Politicians are never more attentive to what you say. They are applying to you for a job right now.

We want the agreed job description of every TD elected to include a commitment to seeking and supporting the enactment of a strong climate law this year.

What you can do right now

• Email the candidates in your area now and ask them to sign the new Stop Climate Chaos "candidate commitment"
  
• Ask any canvasser or candidate who calls to your door will they and their party seek and support the passage of a climate law this year
  
• Download the Candidate Commitment and have a few copies by the door. Give one to any canvasser who calls and ask any candidate to sign it.

Politicians tend to think that issues are only important if they get asked about them on the doorsteps. Make sure they are reminded how important climate change is by hearing about it from you. And don't wait for them to call. Email them right now. Apart from anything else it will make it easier to raise it with them when they, or their canvassers, do call.

We made huge progress during the last Dáil in building a political constituency for action on climate change. But it's also clear that educating politicians to take the a strategic long-term view of the public interest is not a one-term project. Especially in the face of vested interests polluting the political process even more recklessly that they pollute the atmosphere.

Given the economic and political turmoil, getting two climate Bills published last year was a huge against-the-odds victory. Now let's get one passed this year.