Bill to ban offshore oil and gas exploration over first hurdle
IRELAND could become among the first countries in the world to ban offshore exploration for oil and gas in a bid to tackle climate change.
A bill proposed by Solidarity/ People Before Profit, but backed by Fianna Fáil, Labour, some independent TDs and the Green Party, aims to ban fossil fuel exploration and will now move to committee stage, despite the Government’s opposition.
The Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) Climate Emergency Measures Bill, secured support from 78 TDs with 48 opposing. It follows a Dáil decision last year to ban fracking. The move has been backed by pop singer Cher, who expressed her support on Twitter.
Solidarity/PbP TD Bríd Smith, who proposed the bill, called on the Government to stop issuing any new exploration licences while the bill was being debated, and said that 80pc of oil and gas reserves had to be kept in the ground if global ambition under the Paris Climate Agreement to limit warming to no more than 2C was to be met.
“Our bill would mandate the Government to stop the issuing of new fossil fuel licences while the carbon in the atmosphere registers over 350 parts per million and would declare a climate emergency,” she said.
“The science (of climate change) has been proven for almost three decades. Leo Varadkar admitted we’re the laggards in Europe. This is one measure we could take.”
Last December, the French National Assembly voted to immediately ban any new licences for oil and gas exploration, and to cease all extraction in France and its territories by 2040. Costa Rica has a moratorium on all petroleum exploration and extraction until at least 2021.
But the Government, which opposed the bill, is concerned that banning licences will affect security of supply and leave the State completely reliant on imported fuels during the transition to clean power. It has called for a “broad debate” on national energy policy instead of an outright ban.
There are 25 petroleum exploration licences, some of which expire in 2030, and concerns about their legal status will have to be considered at committee stage.