Reacting to the publication of the Government’s long promised energy security review, People Before Profit TD and party’s climate spokesperson, Bríd Smith, said the current crisis must not be used as an excuse to further lock Ireland into a fossil fuel future. She said it was clear that other options exist to deal with any crisis and rejected the assertion that current gas supplies from the UK were in any way insecure or in jeopardy as “scaremongering” by vested interests.
She said: “The only real energy security in the coming years is a move to reduce our dependence on all fossil fuels, including gas; as opposed to investing in state owned gas storage.”
The deputy said the entire energy crisis was a clarion call for governments to retake control of energy and move away from the ongoing market failures.
She said: “We need the state to take control of developing offshore wind and renewables, not investing more in fossil fuel infrastructure or allow private development of LNGs.”
The deputy said: “The clamour from some sections of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and independents is utterly bizarre given what we have witnessed in the last 12 months of a spiralling climate crisis. The reality is that the loudest calls and the most misleading statements demanding LNGs have come from people who either deny, or don’t care about the climate crisis and will use selective facts for their own interests. I am confident that the climate movement will not accept an LNG in this state without a massive fight and it will be the litmus test of the Greens if they fail on this issue.”
