Greens slams Government’s record on climate change 

Today’s publication of the Copernicus Report shows the reality of abandoning climate action

Following the confirmation in today’s Copernicus Report that last year was the hottest on record, the Green Party is urging the Government to act on climate change. The report also states that the world is now likely to reach the 1.5 degree tipping point by the end of this decade which is a decade earlier than previously predicted.

Last week, Minister Darragh O’Brien admitted that Ireland will not meet its emissions targets while offering no concrete plan to close the widening emissions gap. 

Reacting to the Copernicus Report, Green Party Leader Roderic O’Gorman said “The time for government to act is now, and there is so much that can be done that they’re just not doing”

The ESRI report on Climate Heat Health tells us climate change “exacerbates health impacts, especially in vulnerable demographic groups such as children, older people, and individuals with chronic diseases.” Yet there is no planning for the increased pressure on the health service that this will bring. 

Deputy O’Gorman said:

“The ESRI has estimated that over 200 people will die each year due to excess heat caused by climate change from 2030 on. But when I asked the HSE in December if they are collecting statistics on this issue, they told me that it “does not routinely report on heatwave-related deaths”. This has to change. Our health services need to prepare themselves for the impacts of long-term higher temperatures.

“All of this is symptomatic of a government that has consistently rowed back on climate promises made to the public while the Greens were in Government. 

The Green Party is calling for the immediate publication of a corrective "Plan B" to meet the 2030 targets.”