All parties commit to passing climate legislation

All parties have now committed to passing climate legislation in the new Dáil.

Fine Gael

The Fine Gael manifesto includes the following on page 42:

Climate Change Legislation: Fine Gael will legislate for a climate change law that sets the Kyoto and EU2020 targets in national legislation but only on the basis of all party agreement.

Download the Fine Gael manifesto here.

Labour

The Labour manifesto includes the following on page 27:

Labour's Climate Change Bill will provide certainty about government policy, and a clear pathway for emissions reduction, in line with negotiated EU targets. Labour will also work at EU level to set up a national programme for forest carbon offsets.

Ireland also needs a coordinated approach to the two-pronged challenge of reducing our carbon output and growing our energy independence, with responsibility at the highest level of government. The Department of the Taoiseach will coordinate both our domestic and international policy on climate change.

Download the Labour manifesto.

Fianna Fáil

The Fianna Fáil manifesto focuses solely on the public finances, jobs and political reform, but Micheal Martin has written to Friends of the Earth to say Fianna Fail remains committed to the climate Bill the FF/Green coalition published in December:

"We are committed to an ambitious environmental programme which includes tackling climate change. We published the Climate Change Response Bill 2010 on the 23rd December 2010 which passed first stage in the Seanad before the Dáil was dissolved. The Bill set out Fianna Fáil's commitment to legislating for a process that allows us to plan for greenhouse emissions reduction and adaptation to climate change, as the Bill makes clear ...The Climate Change Bill should enable us to pursue a smart economy which is highly productive, competitive, resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable."

Read the full letter here

Green Party

The Green Party manifesto also re-affirms its commitment to the climate Bill they published in Government with Fianna Fáil, and outlines it's main features on page 31. It then says:

"As part of the next government, the Green Party will prioritise the passage of this vital piece of legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas."

Download the Green Party manifesto.

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin party president has signed the Stop Climate Chaos candidate commitment, which includes a commitment to a climate law that provides for 5 year targets, not to be met by buying offsets overseas and an independent commission to advise Government, with the power to publish it's own reports.

Read the commitment here.

Socialist Party

Socialist Party leader, Joe Higgins MEP, has signed the Stop Climate Chaos candidate commitment outlined above.

Read the commitment here.

Friends of the Earth is asking individual candidates to sign the Stop Climate Chaos candidate commitment to work for the early passing of a strong climate law. Why not email the candidates in your area? It'll only take a minute.