O’Rourke: We’re at the ‘last chance’ stage to act on the climate

This week's international climate conference in Glasgow, COP26, is regarded as the 'last chance' of keeping on track the target of maintaining global temperatures within 1.5 degrees celsius of pre-industrial levels.

That's according to Deputy O'Rourke, Sinn Fein spokesperson on Climate Action, and who will attend the conference as part of the Irish delegation this week.

"As COP26 approaches, my concern is that governments across the world know exactly where we have to get to - 'net-zero by 2050 at the latest' - but, in the first instance there is a reluctance to commit to that goal.

"We know we need to undo the damage of the industrial revolution by weaning ourselves off fossil fuels and, across every sector of society, reduce our carbon emissions.

"In Ireland, we have seen carbon tax levied on fuels at a time when people don't have alternatives and when the price of carbon is already sky-rocketing. In this context, carbon tax is punitive. In addition, given the scale of the changes that are needed, I believe this 'tax and nudge' approach is entirely the wrong one.”

Meanwhile forthcoming carbon budgets for every sector of the economy will “require fundamental changes” affecting how people live and work, Minister for Climate Eamon Ryan has said.

He was speaking after the publication of new proposed overall carbon budgets from the Climate Change Advisory Council as the country puts a statutory limit on greenhouse gas emissions for the first time.

The council’s budgets outline a national ceiling for the total amount of emissions that can be released.

The first carbon budget, which will run from 2021 to 2025, will see emissions reduce by 4.8 per cent on average each year for five years.

The second budget, which will run from 2026 to 2030, will see emissions reduce by 8.3 per cent on average each year for five years.