Government opposition to fracking must now be put on a legislative footing
The Green Party said today that the EPA report on fracking, released today, ‘entirely misses the point’ and fails to take into account the larger implications of tackling climate change and the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Speaking today, Green Party Spokesperson on Climate Change, Cllr David Healy, said: “The EPA’s report focuses on whether we can safely extract shale gas through unconventional methods. While we welcome the Minister’s commitment to maintaining the current moratorium on fracking on the back of this report, the question we really need to be asking is whether we should be continuing to insist on a dangerous, 20th century approach to energy policy that is not fit for the future. The report fails to acknowledge the wider context of the debate on fossil fuels. We know that four fifths of known fossil fuel reserves must be left in the ground if we are to avoid dangerous levels of global warming. We have 10 years left before we reach 1.5 degrees of warming. That is the reality of the situation.
“We know the risks involved in fracking, and we hope that the Oireachtas moves to ban it through legislation as soon as possible. We also need to have a wider debate about fossil fuels in this country. A low carbon future means no more oil or gas exploration. It means no fracking. This EPA report misses the point by not dealing with these issues. We’re calling on the Government to re-affirm its opposition to fracking, and to put that opposition on a legislative footing in response to this report.”