Stop Climate Chaos to 'blow off steam' at the Dáil

Vuvuzela protest urges Minister to set date for climate law as he travels to UN climate talks in South Africa

Members and supporters of Stop Climate Chaos will be blowing hundreds of Vuvuzelas, the horns made famous at the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa, outside the Dáil tomorrow, Thursday 24th November at 1pm. Ahead of the UN Climate Change Summit in Durban this December, the coalition of Irish civil society organisations are 'blowing off steam' to express their frustration at the slow pace of political action to combat climate change. We are calling on Irish and international decision makers not to leave the future to chance.

Stop Climate Chaos want Minister Hogan to go to Durban and support the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol - the only binding global framework for climate action. While there, we also want the Minister to set a date for the publication of the promised Irish climate law, to show that Ireland is serious about its domestic commitments to addressing climate change.

Emer Mullins of Oxfam Ireland said
"The Programme for Government contains a commitment to passing a climate law. Consistent failure to implement adequate policies over the past decades has shown that this is the only way to ensure forward thinking and smart investment. When passed this legislation will be a vital part of building a sustainable and competitive Irish economy. Enacting a strong climate law is the greatest thing Ireland can do to stop climate chaos."

Cliona Sharkey of Trócaire said
"We've seen over the last year that we are all vulnerable to extreme and unpredictable weather. These events are just a taste of what's to come if we don't take serious action to reign in climate change. Poor people in vulnerable countries are dealing daily with increasingly frequent and intense storms, floods and drought, having contributed nothing to global warming. We're all in this together, and we have to stand up for the most vulnerable."

Jennifer Thompson of Concern Worldwide said
"We can't talk about tackling global poverty and hunger without tackling our contribution to one of the greatest threats to poverty eradication and food security. Ireland has a responsibility to people in developing countries who are already feeling the impacts of climate change, a crisis they played no part in creating. Ireland must work hard in Durban to secure the extension of the Kyoto Protocol which is seen as the strongest signal of the rich world's willingness to do its fair share."

Notes:

1. The members of Stop Climate Chaos are: ActionAid, Afri, BirdWatch, Christian Aid, Climate Action Ireland Platform, Comhlámh, Concern, Cultivate, Dublin Friends of the Earth, Eco Congregation Ireland, ECO UNESCO, Feasta, Friends of the Earth, Gorta, Just Forests, Kimmage Development Studies Centre, Latin America Solidarity Centre (LASC), Methodist Church of Ireland- Council of Social Responsibility, Mountmellick Environmental Group (MEG), National Youth Council of Ireland, Oxfam Ireland, Presentation Ireland, Progressio Ireland, Sustain West Cork, Trócaire, An Taisce, Vita, VOICE.