";Hogan's law"; is the best way to honour John Tyndall

Minister can make us as proud of Ireland's climate policy as our climate science

As Minister for Environment Phil Hogan opened an international conference to honour the pioneering work of Irish scientist John Tyndall, Friends of Earth has called on the Minister to make Ireland as proud of our climate policy as we are of our climate science. 150 years ago this year Carlow-born Tyndall published a landmark paper showing that carbon dioxide and other gases trap the sun's heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Discovering this "greenhouse effect" laid the basis for climate science and our discovery of the threat of climate change caused by human activity.

Commenting, Friends of the Earth Director, Oisin Coghlan said

"Minister Hogan has a chance to make us as proud of Irish climate policy as we are of Tyndall's ground-breaking climate science."

"Very few scientists get a law named after them. Minister Hogan has given mixed messages on the Government's promised climate legislation. Hogan's law would be a fitting memorial to John Tyndall who hailed from the Minister's constituency. A strong and effective climate law is the best way to honour his pioneering work on climate science".

Opening the conference this morning, Minister Hogan said "In meeting our mitigation commitments, our aim is to position Ireland among the progressive leading countries in the low-carbon global economy of tomorrow." All the parties in the Dáil have agreed effective climate legislation is an essential part of that positioning. In Opposition, Phil Hogan was a leading advocate of the adoption of the all-party climate Bill drafted by the Oireachtas climate change committee. Friends of the Earth is looking forward to building on that work with the Minister to deliver the programme for government commitment to climate legislation.

Read our update on the campaign for climate legislation.

Minister Hogan's speech at the Tyndall conference is here.