Calls on Irish government to stop blocking Climate Emergency Bill and ban further exploration of fossil fuels
People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith has said that the devastation witnessed in Mozambique following Cyclone Idai must act as yet another wake up call to ban the exploration of fossil fuels and keep them in the ground.
She said that it is clear that extreme weather events such as Cyclone Idai are as a result of the increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. The cyclone may be the worst weather related disaster to hit the southern hemisphere with, according to National Geographic, over 1000 potentially dead and 400,000 homeless as a result.
She pointed out that the first people who feel the effects of extreme weather events are people who have contributed least to fossil fuel emissions in the developing world.
Extreme weather events such as floods, prolonged drought, hurricanes and cyclones are forcing people from poor countries to migrate in huge numbers and are causing poor farmers to abandon their farms.
She said: “Governments in the western world need to face up to their responsibilities and ban the exploration and use of fossil fuels. CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are creating devastating weather events like that seen in Mozambique in the last few days. These events are causing some of the world’s poorest people to flee their homes because their lively hoods and future prospects have been destroyed.
“The students at the climate march last week were very clear- they want fossil fuels left in the ground. Will our government listen and act on these demands or will they continue to fiddle while the planet burns?”
The TD said the severity of the disaster showed that the Government is morally and politically wrong to continue blocking her bill which would ban exploration for fossil fuels in Ireland.
The bill will be debated next Tuesday 26th in the Dáil at 8pm. A protest will be held outside the Dáil at 6pm in support of the bill.
