Tag: environment

If you’re concerned about the climate , the ministers answer to my question on LNGs (Liquified Natural Gas Terminals) should terrify you. An Bord Pleanala has extended planning permission for one at the Shannon: they are huge floating reservoirs for stored gas , in this case most likely fracked gas from North America; one of the dirtiest forms of fossil fuels. It makes a mockery of our ban on fracking here and our committmenst to reduce Co2 emmissions. Plans to build these are a way of locking us and Europe into another 50 years+ of reliance on fossil fuels and stopping the switch to renewable energy we and the planet desperately need. Fair play to environmentalists fighting this; for more info check these sites; Not Here, Not Anywhere NHNA – Friends of the Earth LNG strategy sessionFriends of the Irish Environment Friends of the Earth Ireland

Delighted that the bill on Fossil Fuels got through, now lets have more ‘joined up’ thinking from all government departments on this, and lets hope my bill on ending dirty fuel exploration will pass in Sept

My Climate Emergency Bill was discussed at committee stage for the second time yesterday. This clip has some of the exchanges between myself and those on the Government side who spoke against the Bill – Gas Networks Ireland for instance. The Oireachtas website has the entire recordings (see videos for Committe Room 2. for 10.7.18, on their website)

Historic Opportunity for Dáil to take lead on fighting climate change

The Oireachtas Committee on Communications Climate Action and Environment will today scrutinise the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018 at 3pm.

The Bill brought forward by People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith would ban the issuing of any licences for fossil fuel exploration whilst levels of carbon dioxide is above 350 parts per million (it is currently at 411 parts per million).

The Committee over two sittings today and on the 10th of July will hear testimony from Officials from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Irish Operators Offshore Association, IBEC, Dr Amanda Slevin- Queen’s University and Emeritus Professor John Sweeney.Read more »

I was interviewed this morning on RTE’s This Week radio show (Sunday July 1, 18). David Horgan of Petrel Resources spoke in favour of more exploration for fossil fuels – I spoke against. This followed a lovely morning on the Bull Wall with environmentalists urging that for gas and oil, we must KEEP IT IN THE GROUND

Press Release- Bríd Smith TD, People Before Profit       01/07/2018

Bill will be scrutinised at the Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment on Tuesday

Bill would ban the issuing of new licences for fossil fuel exploration

People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith has called on the parties in the Dáil to support her Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018 as it goes to committee stage this Tuesday.

The TD was speaking at a ‘Keep it in the Ground’ banner drop at the Wooden Bridge on Bull Island.

People Before Profit we joined by climate campaigners Not Here, Not Anywhere and Stop Climate Chaos at the unveiling of the banner.Read more »

The risk of SERIOUSLY BAD ADVICE to our government is real, regarding energy needs. On the Environment Committee yesterday we heard from Mr Goulding of the International Energy Agency – a body set up in 1974 to advise governments in the midst of an oil crisis! They’re still ‘advising’ governments in the midst of climate crisis! So how do they handle the contradiction? And in whose interests?

Keep It In The Ground! That was the message for our slot on Primtime on RTE Television last week. Myself and David McMullin were interviewed for the programme on foot of the success of my Climate Emergency Bill. This short video has selected clips – you can see the entire section from the programme here: http://bit.ly/2oigRjH.