Flooding in Salthill and the city centre is becoming normal. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent “sending all the might of the Atlantic against us”. It is time to declare a “climate emergency in Galway”.
This is the view of Green Party Galway City West candidate Pauline O’Reilly, who is calling on City Hall to declare a climate emergency. Her comments follow the actions of Dublin’s four local authorities and the protests by schoolchildren against climate inaction.
“Our young people can see it coming, and we must listen,” said Ms O’Reilly. “They are the ones who will have to bear the consequences of our inaction on climate change. They bravely walked out of their schools recently to demand action as soon as possible, and are planning another strike tomorrow.”
Ms O’Reilly also noted that Dublin’s local authorities are “taking the climate emergency extremely seriously” and have jointly created a climate emergency plan to be enacted during 2019 to 2024.”
“Here in Galway, our homes and livelihoods are at risk,” she said. “We can climate proof Galway, but only if we are prepared to act. We must urgently prioritise public transport and active transport. For those who live too far out to access public transport, we must prioritise electric cars over fossil fuel vehicles, and that means making it affordable.”
