Ireland one of 30 worst climate actors
Ireland’s appalling record on climate change has been highlighted in a global report — which warns that our failure to tackle CO2 emissions targets is putting children’s health at risk.
The landmark report from the World Health Organisation, Unicef, and The Lancet, places Ireland among the bottom 30 countries when it comes to delivering on emissions targets.
The lack of government action in tackling dangerous emissions poses a serious threat to every child’s future and will lead to devastating health consequences due to rising ocean levels, heatwaves, and the proliferation of diseases, warns the report.
It says Ireland is also on track to emit 208% more CO2 than its 2030 emissions target, according to the report, while we are facing hundreds of millions of euro in fines for continually failing to cut carbon emissions.
Carried out by a commission of more than 40 child and adolescent health experts, the report finds that the health and future of all children is under immediate threat due to ecological degradation, climate crisis, pollution, and exploitative marketing practices.
Although there has been significant progress in improving child and adolescent health over the last 20 years, progress has stalled, says the report.
Catherine Martin, deputy leader of the Green Party, condemned our emissions targets failure. “Regretfully it is not surprising to see Ireland score so badly when it comes to delivering on emissions targets, and that we are still heading in the wrong direction,” she said.
“We need to radically overhaul the entire transport system, the entire food system, the entire energy system. We have had nine years of government which has failed our children through inaction and lack of ambition. We need a green decade of change.”
Ms Martin made her comments as the Green Party holds coalition-formation talks with all of the major parties about the process of forming a government.
“One of the aims of the talks we in the Green Party have proposed with all other political parties is to seek agreement and a path to at least 7%-a-year reduction in carbon emissions, rather than the 2% figure currently in place in line with the government’s climate action plan targets.”
Ireland is placed 154th on the global ranking of 180 countries when it comes to sustainability and delivering on emissions targets.
Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are ranked at the bottom of this list, with Qatar on track to emit 1,716% more CO2 than its 2030 emissions target.
Under ‘business-as-usual’ scenarios, there is a 93% chance that global warming will exceed 4C by the year 2100, says the report.
This would have devastating health consequences due to disruption of water and ecosystems, rising ocean levels, inundation of coastal cities, and small island nations, increased mortality from heatwaves, proliferation of vector-borne disease, and a crisis of malnutrition because of disruption to food production.
Despite this major climate failing, Ireland ranks fifth in the world — behind Norway, South Korea, Netherlands, and France, when it comes to ‘children flourishing’ — in an index determined by factors such as health, education, and nutrition, which are deemed to give children the best start in life.
However, the current excessive carbon emissions, disproportionately coming from wealthier countries, including Ireland, threaten the future of all children, states the report.
The commission of experts also states in the report that it is optimistic about the chance to change the world for the better.
“It will require bold politicians, courageous community leaders, and international agencies that are willing to radically change the way they work.”
The report, A Future for the World’s Children?, was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
