Environmentalists target TDS with climate change film
Environmentalists today sent every TD elected to the new Dáil a copy of the global warming film An Inconvenient Truth.
Friends of the Earth also issued a copy of its own draft Climate Protection Bill to all 166 representatives returned in the General Election to mark World Environment Day.
It wants to put pressure on the next government to adopt its proposed legislation and step up its response to climate change.
“The 30th Dáil has a particular historical responsibility for Ireland’s response to climate change,” said Friends of the Earth Director, Oisin Coghlan.
“It will oversee the full five years of Ireland’s Kyoto commitment and our participation in the negotiations on what happens after 2012.
“We need our elected representatives to be at the forefront of shaping Ireland’s response to the challenge ahead.
“We thought the least Friends of the Earth could do was make sure that every TD had the chance to see Al Gore’s movie and read our Climate Protection Bill,” he added.
Mr Coghlan said Ireland has so far failed to curb its contribution to the greenhouse gas emissions threatening the future of the planet.
“Our emissions have so far risen by twice the target we agreed to for the Kyoto period up to 2012,” he said.
“Beyond that, the EU has already agreed that European pollution will have to fall by 60-80% by 2050 to keep climate change in check.
“That means Ireland’s emissions will have to fall by an average of 3% a year from now on. Friends of the Earth is calling for a law to make sure this happens.”
The environmental pressure group’s Climate Protection Bill urges the introduction of an annual ’carbon budget’, alongside the existing financial budget, to control emissions.
An annual audit of progress by an independent commission would monitor government policies to reduce climate pollution, under the proposed laws.
