Key Climate Questions All Parties and Candidates Should Be Asked Before Election Published

Three biggest parties still dodging Climate Hustings

Friends of the Earth has today published a list of key climate questions it thinks candidates and parties should answer in advance of the General Election. The environmental campaigning organisation has also criticised the three largest parties for still not naming a representative to attend their Climate Hustings next Wednesday 20^th. Simon Harris and Micheál Martin have already skipped the Leaders’ Summit at the UN climate conference in Baku this week.

Sorcha Tunney, Friends of the Earth Head of Campaigns, commented:

“Not going to Baku for the COP Leaders’ Summit is understandable during an election. But it’s not too much to ask them to come to Dawson Street for our Climate Hustings.

“Voters deserve to hear from the party leaders who want to be Taoiseach how they will answer the climate questions the next Government will inevitably face.”

The “Key Climate Questions” that Friends of the Earth have published today are based on the organisation’s Programme for a Government that delivers Faster and Fairer Climate Action.

The overarching climate question for all parties and candidates is will they commit to uphold the 2021 climate law, passed 129-10 by the Dáil, and to do doing everything in their power to reduce emissions in line with the binding pollution limits to 2030 adopted by the Dáil on a cross-party basis.

The other questions cover how to reduce pollution in key sectors while addressing the everyday concerns of people struggling with the cost of living. Friends of the Earth claims that climate solutions exist which improve quality of life and reduce poverty and inequality. Its key climate questions explore whether parties will cut pollution while delivering

• Warm homes for all, with lower bills and no fossil fuels
• Clean, affordable renewable energy for homes, not data centres and big tech.
• Affordable, reliable, and accessible fossil-free transport
• A fair deal for family farmers, to feed Ireland and restore nature

Oisin Coghlan, Friends of the Earth chief executive, commented:

“There’s been some media reporting that climate hasn’t been coming up on the doorsteps as much as it did four years ago. I doubt climate change came up that much on the doors in the Spanish General Election last year. But it’s on the doorsteps in Valencia and Malaga now.

“The next Government will be responsible for doing what it can to prevent and protect us from climate breakdown and I hope the media ask all the parties how they plan to do that during the election campaign”.

Friends of the Earth today launched a facility on its website allowing people to email their local candidates to urge them to pledge to champion faster and fairer climate action.