The Green Party said today that the Government is lacking political leadership, and will miss out on the economic opportunities of transitioning to a low-carbon economy if it does not step up its ambition, as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten, in his first annual transition statement to the Seanad.
Senator Grace O’Sullivan was speaking during statements to the Minister, stressing the positive impacts transitioning to a low-carbon economy would bring.
She said: “Minister Naughten and his Government colleagues still don’t seem to recognise the urgency of the situation of climate change. Ireland has everything to gain by going down a sustainable path. The Minister was in the papers once again today lamenting that Ireland’s 2020 emissions targets were too ambitious. I would suggest that he and his Government colleagues aren’t nearly ambitious enough in time frame or in scale. They have fallen at the first hurdle by failing to decouple economic growth and emissions.
“How can we have trust this government in taking ambitious leadership to a carbon free future, if they fail to see the problems with the current approach?
“Our fossil-fuel based economy is delivering shorter life spans, negative health impacts, an unhealthy obsession with the combustion engine and a fuel bill of €6.5 billion in energy imports every year. This is a massive drain on our balance of payments and a huge misuse of public money.
“Changing the way we organise our society should not a burden – it’s an incredible opportunity to address so many issues we face as a country. Housing, transport, energy, agriculture and health sectors, to name but a few.
“We need to act now if we are serious about transiting to a cleaner future. The Green Party is committed to working with government, communities and businesses in promoting efficiencies and renewable energy. Ireland can be a world leader in the coming century if we are ambitious about going green. All we need is the political leadership. Sadly, that seems to be lacking in the current Government.”