Political parties grilled on global boiling at our Climate Hustings

Political parties were grilled on global boiling and urged to fulfill their legally binding commitments to curb polluting emissions at our Climate and Environment Hustings yesterday morning in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. The fundamental question for all parties was what new and additional policies they are proposing to accelerate the reduction of Ireland’s polluting emissions. Notably, the EPA is currently projecting that emissions will only fall by 29% by 2030, when the target in the climate law is 51%. 

It was a significant opportunity to urge the Government to treat the climate crisis like the emergency it is. Our hustings was also a chance for voters grappling with cost of living and other intersecting crises to know what climate policies political parties are proposing to improve their lives and tackle inequalities and injustices while curbing polluting emissions. 

Our Climate and Environmental Hustings was also particularly topical at a time when the internationally agreed goal to keep the world’s temperature rise below 1.5C is now “deader than a doornail”, with 2024 almost certain to be the first individual year above this threshold. As UN Secretary General António Guterres said in July,

The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived … Leaders must lead. No more hesitancy. No more excuses. No more waiting for others to move first. There is simply no more time for that.

Hosted along with the DCU Centre for Climate and Society and the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, the hustings was chaired by Pat Leahy, The Irish Times’ political editor. The seven political parties that passed the 2021 climate law by 129 votes to 10 and adopted binding emissions limits to 2030 on a cross-party basis in the last Dáil were represented by the following election candidates:

Fine Gael - Hildegarde Naughton

Fianna Fáil - Thomas Byrne 

Sinn Féin - Darren O’Rourke

Green Party - Pippa Hacket

Labour Party - Ivana Bacik

Social Democrats - Jennifer Whitmore

People Before Profit - Paul Murphy 

Candidates were challenged on climate issues ranging from liquefied natural gas (LNG), especially in the aftermath of the recent High Court decision to reconsider Shannon LNG’s plan to build an LNG gas terminal in Kerry; the expansion of energy and fossil fuel guzzling data centres in the country; enhanced and affordable public transport; energy poverty with a focus on retrofitting for the most marginalised; nature restoration; agriculture; carbon tax etc.

In their opening spiel, all parties committed to expanding the national retrofit scheme and throughout as one of their key climate priorities, but when quizzed on energy efficiency and the the private rental sector, People Before Profit were the only ones with a commitment to implement the minimum BERs promised in the Government's current Housing for All policy.

The seven political parties’ disparate policy approaches to each of these issues was illuminated by the debate that ensued, which was deftly moderated by Pat Leahy. For instance, on the topic of LNG, and specifically on if and how each party would stop Shannon LNG from going through, the following is what each of them had to say. 

 

Darren O’Rourke, Sinn Fein: 

I don’t think there’s any basis for the need for LNG in Ireland, particularly when you look at it from an environmental perspective….there should be no basis for LNG in Ireland…It (LNG) would not be consistent with a Sinn Féin programme for government in my opinion.

 

Pippa Hackett, Green Party:

No to LNG.. we don’t need it. If we can stop it we will. We are not supportive of it…

 

Hildegarde Naughton, Fine Gael:

We spend 10 billion euro every year on importing fossil fuels - that’s completely unsustainable. From Fine Gael’s point of view, we want to invest in offshore renewables - that’s the space we are in. But we also have to - I suppose, the reality of the situation is that we’ve to make sure the lights are kept on and we have this reliable, sustainable energy source. So while we absolutely prioritise renewable energy, it wouldn’t be, I think, prudent at this point to rule anything out. But the space we want to be in is renewables.

 

Paul Murphy, People Before Profit:

We must not have any LNG under any basis - “temporary energy security blah blah blah”. The idea of investing in fossil fuel infrastructure at this moment makes no sense, particularly investing in fossil fuel infrastructure which is going to be having fuel which is more dirty than coal. It makes no sense whatsoever. And I do think you have to raise question marks -...we need to raise question marks on the Green Party saying ‘we are against LNG’ when they signed off that LNG could be strategic infrastructure in the Planning Bill.

 

Thomas Byrne, Fianna Fai

On LNG, we have always said that gas is going to be a transition fuel. We have been really, really clear we want to move towards renewable energy…but we need to make sure we are protecting this country in the short term. As Pippa said, if the lights go out, this is something we need to watch for and we need to have practical solutions and Fianna Fail is determined to have practical solutions - that we need to move away from gas but we maybe we need it in the meantime.

 

Jennifer Whitmore, Social Democrats

We don’t want to see the Shannon development and we’d do everything possible to stop it. I don’t know if it would be possible to stop it but certainly we would try.

 

Ivana Bacik, Labour Party, who had to leave before this discussion, had said earlier in the hustings that Labour Party supports a full LNG ban.

A moratorium on data centres is another area where the candidates appeared to be hesitating to take a firm, unequivocal stance. When asked if they would support a moratorium on data centres, Sinn Fein’s Darren O’Rourke talked about the importance of having “sufficient renewables on the grid…or we are going to crash the energy system.” Green Party’s Pippa Hackett said that they would only support data centres “if they can demonstrate they come with their own 100% renewable energy and not draw on the grid.”

Fine Gael’s Hildegarde Naughton, said, “Data centres are really important for Ireland, but that said, we also need to ensure that there is sufficient grid usage when data centres are up and running…new renewable energy centres are important…there needs to be restrictions around it but we absolutely need to have data centres.” Fianna Fail’s Thomas Byrne mirrored similar views when he said, “No we don’t support a moratorium on data centres. We need to make sure we are protecting our industrial capacity and employment and that includes making sure there is a lot more renewable energy there…”

People Before Profit’s Paul Murphy said, “Yes, definitely. Last year, the increase in demand from data centres exceeded the extra renewable energy that was put on the grid so we are getting further and further away from 100% renewables. This is attempting to walk down an upwards escalator…This (data centre expansion) is big tech being put before people’s electricity in this country and our climate obligations.”

Social Democrats’ Jennifer Whitmore said her party supports a moratorium on data centres. “It’s not saying absolutely none forever, it’s about saying, ‘how many can Ireland afford from an environmental perspective and how do we put conditions on them’…I’m not saying we don’t need data centers, because we do, but do we need them using 30% of our electricity by 2030? Are we going to be able to maintain that? Are we going to be able to have the renewable energy in place? And I don't think we have.” 

Carbon tax is another area where conspicuous differences arose, with Fianna Fail’s Thomas Byrne hailing it “one of the most social just measures ever implemented”, while PBP’s Paul Murphy deeming it a red herring. Sinn Fein’s Darren O’Rourke also referred to it as a “distraction”. Labour Party’s Ivana Bacik, on the other hand, said, “Carbon tax is the way we ensure funding for climate action.”

You can watch the full event, encompassing discussions and debates on other environmental topics, here. We hope our hustings help play a part in enabling you to be an informed voter who’d vote for those election candidates who prioritise fast and fair climate action—in other words, those candidates that prioritise our collective health, needs and human rights first and foremost. 

Note: Some of the above quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity. You can watch the full recording of the event here.