People Before Profit’s spokesperson on Climate, Bríd Smith TD, has said the latest version of the Government’s Climate Bill is “not fit for the purpose of addressing the scale of the climate crisis. She said the Bill is hardwired to fail in achieving the kind of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions the science demands and in a just fashion.”
While acknowledging that the Bill has seen some changes from the original draft, the TD said that many of the most objectionable features and language remained.
She said: “Despite the Government’s attempt to spin the new version it is remarkable that literally the first thing you see is a disclaimer saying there is no liability for failure to achieve any goals. This makes a mockery of claims that any targets are legally enforceable.
“The chief problem remains the overall stated goal of a “climate neutral economy”. The bill is very specific that this can be claimed regardless of the actual amount of GHGs the state is emitting. It means a reliance on technological solutions or even using offsets and various market mechanisms.”
The TD described the fact that the bill retains special clauses for agriculture and biogenic methane is a cop out, and that it also insists that the Minister has regard to the attractiveness of the state to investors in any plans.
She added: “These cop outs along with an emphasis on cost competitiveness mean we are placing future plans at the whims of vested economic and business interests.”
The TD said that while she welcomed a promise to ban future oil and gas licences for exploration, the lack of any mention of banning LNGs or fracked gas and the fact that current licences covering large tracts of our oceans run until 2035 remains a slap in the face to the climate movement.
