May 10th, 2019
There has been a
strong positive reaction across the world to Ireland’s declaration of a climate
and biodiversity emergency yesterday evening.
The
issue was raised during a debate on a motion to accept and endorse the
recommendations of the new landmark climate report from the Joint Oireachtas
Committee on Climate Action.
While
a vote was due to be taken next Thursday, it was agreed to accept without vote
an amendment to the motion from Fianna Fáil for the Dail to declare both a
climate and biodiversity emergency.
The accepted amendment also calls
on the Citizens’ Assembly to examine how the State can improve its response to
the issue of biodiversity loss.
Responding to the news on
social media last night, teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg heralded the
move as “great news”.
Greta pointed out to
the Government that a climate emergency “means leaving fossil fuels in the
ground” and sent a call to other countries around the world asking “who is
next?”
The declaration of a climate emergency is one of the key demands of the student strike movement that began in August 2018 when Greta started protesting on the steps of the Swedish Parliament.
Prominent Scottish
school striker Holly Gillibrand also took to Twitter
to express her support for Ireland’s declaration. She said that she would be
striking once more this Friday because “words have been spoken and now we need
action”.
Popular US-based
climate activist and writer Rebecca Solnit also shared the news to her
followers via Facebook, adding that “climate summer is coming” as momentum builds
before the movement.
The European branch of Greenpeace praised the move as a first step in a new era of climate action but also asked “when will Leo Varadkar’s government take real steps to avoid climate breakdown?”
Extinction Rebellion was also encouraged by Ireland’s declaration, stressing that the Irish
government must now halt biodiversity loss and achieve net-zero carbon
emissions by 2025.
The declaration of a climate and
ecological emergency was Extinction Rebellion Ireland’s (XRI) first demand.
Speaking to The Green News, XRI’s Dr Ciaran O’Carroll said that the declaration will be meaningless
“without urgent action to reduce our emissions to net zero by 2030”.
“The fact of the
matter is we remain unprepared for the danger our future holds,” he cautioned as
the world faces increasing risk of floods, wildfires, extreme weather, crop
failure, and mass displacement.
“The good news is in Ireland at least the time of denial is finally over. The time for action is now.”
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