Kicking Europe’s fossil fuel addiction: There can be no backtracking

The European Parliament is making big decisions on rules on heating buildings next week. Irish MEPs will vote on changes to the EU’s buildings directive on the 14th of March. It sounds technical but this law will play a crucial role in saving energy, reducing emissions and lifting millions of families out of energy poverty.

A strong EU building directives law can improve living standards for millions of households and offers a long-term solution to energy poverty and the climate crisis.  A weak one risks locking households into dirty expensive fossil fuels. 

We know that Ireland is now facing a three-part energy crisis of affordability, pollution and supply, as a result of our fossil fuel addiction. The overall solution to these three problems, and the way to protect households both in Ireland and across Europe, is the same: reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. This means we need to make our homes and buildings as energy efficient as possible through renovations and through more renewable heating solutions like heat pumps. 

This law can provide the incentives and supports to deliver this transformation, as well as a new clear fossil fuel phase-out target for buildings. However, we’re concerned that Fine Gael’s European People’s Party may try to weaken the text at the last minute through further changes which would mean more, instead of less, use of polluting oil and gas boilers. 

That’s why we’re asking you to take our e-action to tell Irish MEPs that we need a bold, far-reaching law and that regressive, obstructive amendments must not be allowed.