Can you stomach another Leaders' Debate ...

... that doesn't discuss climate change?

The election is in the closing stretch. The final leaders' debate is tonight. Will they discuss climate change? Probably not, but even if they do it'll be short and superficial at best. The reality, however, is that whoever forms the next Government will find climate change high on the policy agenda because of the Paris Agreement, looming EU targets and competing interest groups at home.

So how much thought have the parties actually given it? Below you can see and read for yourself.

 

Ask your candidates to take the Vote Frack Free pledge .

 

The hustings Young Friends of the Earth held with the Environmental Pillar are now online.

You can see the full 86 minutes here .

And we've also broken it down by question:
=> Fossil Fuels
=> Agriculture
=> Meeting our climate targets
=> Threats to nature protection
=> Sustainable rural communities

The representatives of the parties were Mary Fitzpatrick of Fianna Fáil, Eamon Ryan of the Greens, Richard Boyd Barrett TD of People Before Profit, Lynn Boylan MEP of Sinn Fein, Senator Cáit Keane of Fine Gael and Robert Dowds TD of Labour

And you can watch 9 minute analysis of hustings by an academic, a journalist and activists here .

 

Dr Cara Augustenborg, climate change lecturer in UCD, and chair of Friends of the Earth, has read all the party manifestos and the answers to the 6 questions our supporters asked candidates. You can read her analysis here . And watch Cara's personal take on the election here .

 

One person we know read her analysis is RTE's George Lee. He discussed the party positions on climate and energy policy with Keelin Shanley on RTE's Campaign Daily on Monday. Watch George Lee's take here.

In the final few days of the campaign we're asking you to push as many candidates as possible to pledge to ban fracking. It's one energy issue that has got traction in the campaign and we want to turn soothing words into concrete pledges to Vote Frack Free. For this action we've joined forces with the Fracking Free Network of grassroots ant-fracking groups and Good Energies Alliance. Email your local candidates on fracking now . It's already making a difference, so please add your voice today. Find out more on the Vote Frack Free website .

Hope you find some useful information there. And we'll be back to you after the result on our plans to make the 32nd Dáil one of climate action.

All the best,

Oisin and the Friends of the Earth team

P.S. We need to raise €25,000 to keep our community-energy, fossil-free campaigning going in 2016 . We've just passed the halfway mark! Can you pitch in?

Every euro counts. In fact anything you give right now will be TRIPLED because it’ll allow us to draw down grant funding that closes in 5 weeks.

 

For every €1 you give us we’ll have €4 to fight for a fossil free future. Thanks !