Brian Stanley: Government Enabling Environmental Destruction
Brian Stanley responds to Deputy O'Gorman's motion, criticising the government's failure to meet 2030 climate targets and warning that the Critical Infrastructure Bill, especially section 7, will permit large-scale environmental damage. He highlights missed renewable opportunities, the rapid spread of data centres, proposed fracked gas import plans, and the economic risk of EU fines.
Failure on 2030 targets
Brian Stanley says ministers now accept Ireland will miss its 2030 binding target of a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. He argues this failure is not only an environmental catastrophe but will also expose the state to estimated fines between 8 and 26 billion, as flagged by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Advisory Council.
Critical Infrastructure Bill concerns
Stanley singles out section 7 of the Critical Infrastructure Bill as designed to override local planning, scientific evidence and community concerns, allowing environmental destruction at the stroke of a minister's pen. He warns that the clause would fast-track projects irrespective of their climate impact and make it easier for private investors to push damaging developments.
Energy choices and data centres
He criticises the government's record on offshore wind, anaerobic digestion, hydro and slow progress on solar, while data centres continue to expand and already use almost a quarter of national electricity. He also condemns moves to import frack gas on floating terminals despite domestic bans on exploration and extraction.
Alternatives and policy priorities
Stanley calls for accelerated delivery of offshore wind, wave energy, anaerobic digestion and hydro, a faster roll-out of solar and expanded home retrofit programmes. He urges easing tax burdens on low-carbon fuels for heavy transport and buses and insists policy must prioritise community, science and climate obligations over investor interests.
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I want to welcome this motion from Deputy Gorman, a very comprehensive motion that he sent out. So it's now accepted that we're going to miss our 2030 binding targets of 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and Ministers at last are accepting that. The Government has failed to develop offshore wind energy, anaerobic digestion, hydro generation and are only starting with solar. And this means not just climate and environmental damage, but also economic damage. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Advisory Council estimate that the fines we're facing will be between 8 and 26 billion due to our failure to meet our international obligations and moral obligations. Meanwhile, data centres continue to be built apace. They're currently used in almost a quarter of our electricity supply, which is okay, we'll supply them with electricity for roughly half the cost of what Joe and Mary Public pay in their household. So the next big bright idea, we're going to import frack gas from America. Trump, during his recent pronouncement, says that we need to, when the Taoiseach was over there, I heard him talking about it, and we're going to have it on a floating terminal in Deshannon. Even though frack gas is, the exploration of it here and extraction of it is banned. And then the latest one is the Critical Infrastructure Bill. This is the next thing coming down the line. And one section of that alone, section 7, is there for no other purpose but to facilitate huge environmental destruction at the stroke of a minister's pen. And this needs to be stopped. It's clearly designed to override any environmental damage or concerns that the county councils, local communities or anybody else have. And to disregard scientific evidence that's provided of extensive climate damage. It's okay, the minister can overrule it. And guess what? It's going to facilitate private investors along with public projects. So it's clear what we're doing. We're dancing to the tune of the American Chamber of Commerce. We're being told our economic model is broken. So we'll just keep going with it. We'll just keep jumping in. That's what the government is doing here. So projects are going to be given the green light that planners and scientists, and they'll just have to look on in horror, and planners at local authority level. Data centres, frack gas terminals, all sorts of dodgy mining will be made easy. Instead the government should speed up the delivery of offshore wind energy, wave energy, anaerobic digestion which they've completely ignored, hydro which they've completely ignored, solar which are only moving at a snail's pace. Ease the tax burden on HVO fuels for transport, heavy transport and buses. Expand the home retrofit scheme to reduce the amount of fuel used and speed up the warmer home scheme.
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