‘Wake up’ to climate issue
IF we don’t do something now about climate change it will be our children who are going to suffer as a result of our selfishness.
That’s the view of Councillor Sinead Maguire who tabled a motion calling on the Council to write to Ministers for the Environment, Transport and Agriculture about the issue.
Cllr Maguire wants them to take all available measures to reduce carbon emissions, adopt renewable energy sources and encourage carbon neutral practices where possible.
She said this would ensure Ireland no long needs to look for derogations from our EU responsibilities and will avoid potential punitive fines in future.
“It’s going to court big debate - we’re all fond of our cars. It will not be easy to give up some home comforts but will be necessary,” she said after Council Chief Executive Ciarán Hayes outlined the effects of climate change on the county.
“We’ve already seen the loss of the Dunes in Strandhill. We’re literally fighting the tide,” she said, adding that the Council needed to take on a leadership role and do all they could.
Cllr Marie Casserly said the Council and Central Government had a “joint role” to play.
Cllr Hubert Keaney said Ireland had a “pretty atrocious record” on climate change, often condemning the “climate change denier across the water when we’ve a lot of them here”.
He said farm unions needed to get realistic about climate change and added that the Government wasn’t leading on it.
“We can’t expect people to invest in their homes when there’s no leadership we’re going to have to let some (coastal) houses go, let some outposts go (to rising seawaters) and I don’t think there’ ll be a politician in the country brave enough to take these on,” he said.
Cllr Chris MacManus said to keep on looking for derogations was not the answer: “The Government needs to tell Irish society to wake up.”