In the face of the existential threat that is Climate Change, Galway Green senator Pauline O’Reilly said there is still room for “hope”.
Speaking in the Seanad, Sen O’Reilly said that as she prepares to go to COP - the UN Climate Change Conference - in Glasgow, “I do feel hope”.
“We have to feel hope,” she said. “The actions of politicians will in large part define what happens next for the future of our species. The biggest contribution that we will make as a country will be to reduce our emissions, as one of the highest emitting nations in the EU. How we will do this will be laid down in the Climate Action Plan.”
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She also said she had hope in the general public, given that people “are calling for action” to reverse climate breakdown.
“Children have been taking to our streets for years pleading with politicians,” she said. “Small farmers that I speak to know that the future is a future based on a greener product and a resilient food system and they have felt powerless.”
She also noted that Chambers Ireland has called for a “dramatic change” in regards to action on climate change as the economy is dependent on this as well.
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However, Sen O’Reilly was highly critical of Sinn Féin for “throwing shade” at the Climate Action Plan, and for trying to put a Bill before the Dáil “that would effectively stop wind energy turbines” from being built.
“It is incumbent on us who care about the environment to call out this lack of commitment, this populism,” she said. “We’ve done it when it comes to the media and we will do it when it comes to the opposition. They too must play their part.”
