Stop Climate Chaos Coalition
For Immediate Release
Thursday 15th July 2021

On Wednesday evening, the Dáil debated the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 for the final time [1]. This is a historic moment that signals the Government’s commitment to act decisively and comprehensively on the climate crisis by undertaking steep and rapid emission reductions. 

The passage of the Bill yesterday is the product of a decade’s campaigning by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, civil society and climate activists across the country [2,3]. However climate campaigners say this is just the starting line. Targets are only as good as the actions taken to meet them, and the upcoming national action plan needs to outline the changes that will deliver rapid and sustained emissions reductions of at least 7% every year. The climate law can only be deemed successful if it transforms the policy landscape, by establishing clear and legally binding targets that apply economy-wide and that bring about real ‘system change’ and break our reliance on fossil fuels. 

Conor O’Neill, Acting Head of Policy & Advocacy at Christian Aid Ireland, said:

“Ireland has a hard-earned reputation as a champion for international development and human rights, but it’s been undermined by our poor record on climate. This Bill has to mark the point where rhetoric turns into action. Meeting our obligations under the Paris Agreement means getting our emissions down rapidly and providing greater financial support to poorer countries already on the frontlines of climate breakdown. Even 51% reductions, while challenging, will be far short of Ireland’s fair share of the global effort required to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. We need to up our ambition.” 

Dr. Ciara Murphy of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice said:

“While weaknesses remain in the Bill, and indeed have been introduced at the last minute, the inclusion of a more comprehensive definition for Just Transition is to be welcomed. This Bill does not exist in a vacuum. Our lethargic response to the environmental crisis sits alongside, among other things, a housing and homelessness crisis and intensifying inequality and economic injustice. Achieving a 7% decrease in emissions per year until 2030 will require changes in every aspect of our society. In the long run, an unjust transition will not only hamper climate mitigation but also deepen these already entrenched inequalities and vulnerabilities.”

Caoimhe de Barra, CEO, Trócaire said,

"The commitment by all parties across the Oireachtas and in Government in attaching urgency to the enactment of the Climate Bill as pledged in the Programme for Government is welcome. Trócaire, along with other organisations that are working with communities who are most immediately affected by the climate crisis, but who have contributed the least to global emissions, have consistently reiterated the need for a strong definition of climate justice to feature in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill. Despite such a definition not being included, we note the assurances that Minister Ryan made regarding climate justice during the Seanad debates on the Bill. We will continue to engage with the Government and all Irish political representatives to ensure that climate justice and just transitions are at the heart of Ireland’s response to the climate emergency. "

Mark Murphy of the Irish Climate and Health Alliance said:

“The devastating and tragic scenes we have witnessed in north west Canada over the past week underline the enormous impact that the climate crisis is having on human health. Ireland needs to begin turning its bold rhetoric into concrete actions and this Bill has to be the turning point for us. If we continue on a trajectory of business as usual then these health impacts will only exacerbate and disproportionately hit those already most disadvantaged.”

Colm Ryder of cyclist.ie said:

“Ireland needs to be a leader in the area of climate change, and an example to other nations.  We have the resources, now all we need is the coordinated plan and the will to push it through.  All sectors must play their part.”

Davie Philip of Cultivate: the Sustainable Ireland Cooperative said:

“A focus on individual behaviour change over systemic and community approaches to climate action is shortsighted.  To accelerate carbon reductions and strengthen local resilience we need investment in community level climate action plans and transition programmes, along with support, training and capacity building for community activists and facilitators to engage citizens, especially those marginalised, in local level dialogue and collaborative action.”  

Ellen Corby, GOAL Global Citizenship team:

“The climate crisis threatens the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. But while climate change affects every country in the world, its impact is disproportionately felt by communities with whom GOAL works – communities which have contributed least to emissions. If we are serious about tackling the climate crisis, policy change at national and international levels and global financial commitments must be delivered rapidly. COVID-19 recovery plans should include climate objectives to put the health and sustainability of the planet and its poorest people at centre stage.”

Oonagh Duggan Head of Advocacy at BirdWatch Ireland said:

“Biodiversity including wild bird populations are impacted by climate change. Warming temperatures, sea level rise and extreme weather events can have devastating consequences for the food web, migration, and the habitats that birds depend on. The passage of the Climate Bill is an important first step so that Ireland will do its fair share to cut absolute emissions. Nature-based solutions such as restoring peatlands and woodlands  and ceasing drainage are also important and can help address biodiversity loss as well as tackling emissions but it is critical that the focus is first and foremost about tackling emissions at source. It is critical that climate action does not create a further problem for wild birds. Protecting and restoring biodiversity is critical”. 

Elaine McGoff Natural Environment Officer at An Taisce said:

"An Taisce welcomes the passage of the Climate Bill, however, the last-minute Government amendments were hasty, ill-considered, and risk seriously undermining the scientific integrity of Irish climate action and the independence of the Climate Change Advisory Council. 

While the Bill represents a sea change in how Ireland proposes to tackle the greatest problem of the 21st Century, several aspects of it are disappointing. Firstly, clarity regarding the extent to which steady annual progress towards the 51% reduction target is specified in the Bill is missing and responsibility for ultimate compliance surrendered to the Climate Change Advisory Committee. This potentially facilitates taking the radical steps necessary being left to another government at a time when the window within which we can avoid dangerous climate change is closing rapidly. 

Secondly, the late inclusion by the government of a 'non-justiciability' clause will hamper citizen's rights to see their expressed wishes enforced through the courts if necessary. 

Thirdly, the scale of emissions proposed is not commensurate with Ireland's responsibility as a developed country to recognise its fair share of entitlement to the remaining global carbon budget under its Paris Treaty obligations. It is now time for all sectors of Irish society to demonstrate quantifiable strategies to comply with the new legal regime both nationally and with regards to our emerging responsibilities under the new EU Climate Law."

ENDS

Notes

1.There may be a further technical amendment to section 3 of the Bill that will be brought to the Seanad on Friday.
2. Stop Climate Chaos has been campaigning for a strong climate law for years. Following the adoption of the Programme for Government in 2020, Stop Climate Chaos set out the principles that a new Climate Law should cover - and the tests it should be measured against which included:

• A goal of net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, in line with science, and our commitments under the Paris Agreement
• Legally-binding 5 year emission budgets that cover the whole economy and all greenhouse gases
• stronger powers for the Climate Change Advisory Council with a more balanced membership
• An end to all offshore oil and gas exploration and a ban on LNG terminals and imports
• Firm commitments to climate justice and a just transition
• Extending climate obligations to all public bodies including local authorities
• Enhanced public participation and engagement in all aspects of climate policy.

3. Stop Climate Chaos (SCC) is a coalition of civil society organisations campaigning to ensure Ireland plays its part in preventing runaway climate change. It was launched in 2007 and is the largest network of organisations campaigning for action on climate change in Ireland. Its membership includes development, environmental, youth and faith-based organisations. Its members are: Afri, An Taisce, BirdWatch Ireland, Christian Aid Ireland, Comhlámh, Community Work Ireland, Clare PPN, Concern Worldwide, Cultivate, Cyclist.ie, Dublin Friends of the Earth, Eco Congregation Ireland, ECO UNESCO, Feasta, Fossil Free TCD, Friends of the Earth, Friends of the Irish Environment, Goal, Good Energies Alliance Ireland, Irish Climate and Health Alliance, Irish Heart Foundation, Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, Just Forests, Latin America Solidarity Centre (LASC), Liberia Solidarity Group, Methodist Church of Ireland – Council of Social Responsibility, Mountmellick Environmental Group, National Youth Council of Ireland, Oxfam Ireland, Peoples’ Climate Ireland, Presentation Ireland, Self Help Africa, Tearfund Ireland, Trócaire, Union of Students in Ireland, VITA, VOICE, and Young Friends of the Earth.