Weak Paris agreement requires people to drive transition to climate safety

Friends of the Earth Ireland 

For Immediate Release

12 December 2015

Weak Paris agreement requires people to drive transition to climate safety

Ireland still has a mountain to climb to do its fair share

PARIS, FRANCE, December 12, 2015 – As the Paris agreement to address climate change was adopted this evening, Friends of the Earth Ireland has said that the agreement does not achieve all that the world requires and therefore demands people power to drive the transition to climate safety.

Commenting on the Paris agreement, Dr. Cara Augustenborg, chairperson of Friends of the Earth Ireland said in Paris,

“While this historic global agreement offers opportunities to safeguard the inhabitants of our planet, it will not avoid two degrees of warming based on the current national pledges and the lengthening of the time scale for implementation.“The agreement does put fossil fuels on the wrong side of history, but it doesn’t contain the solid commitments in science required to cut emissions and protect people from the impacts of climate change. However, the energy transformation is already underway and the huge mobilization on the streets of Paris today was evidence that people power will lead us towards climate safety and climate justice.

”Communities and people everywhere are resisting dirty energy and implementing real solutions to the climate crisis. December 12th 2015 marks a turning point for the balance of power. The Paris agreement gives people a mandate to hold our national governments to account.”

Commenting from Dublin, Friends of the Earth chief executive, Oisin Coghlan stated:

"The Paris agreement is weak, particularly when compared to what the 15th Conference of Parties was aiming for, but the 195 nations who have endorsed the agreement cannot shirk their responsibilities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

”Immediate efforts are required before 2020 from all countries, including Ireland. The urgency to do this is evident from the increasing storm and flood events we are experiencing, such as the flooding along the Shannon this week."

The obvious connections between climate change and local disaster has dawned on the Irish psyche.Ïreland still has a mountain to climb with respect to climate action, but a groundswell of people are urging our leaders to no longer plead economic hardship or special case status to avoid pulling their weight in the international effort now required to avoid dangerous climate change."

ENDS