“No more business as usual – it’s time to put climate, nature and fairness at the heart of Government” is the call of the Environmental Pillar as it publishes its Manifesto for the General Election.
The 2024 EPA State of the Environment Report could not have been more clear: economic prosperity and public health are threatened by the slow pace and low ambition of environmental action.
“The time for prevarication is over – the EPA report should be a wake-up call to all politicians heading into the general election. The next Government must ensure that it is prioritising environmental action across all departments and public bodies if we are to make the kind of transformation that is needed to reach our GHG emissions targets, tackle pollution and restore nature”, said Karen Ciesielski, Co-ordinator at the Environmental Pillar.
Tackling the ecological crises of biodiversity loss, climate change and ensuring a fair transition to a low-carbon economy requires nothing short of a transformation in how Government operates. The lack of a comprehensive department of the environment, which includes key functions such as water and the marine, means that environmental protection and nature restoration are not given appropriate weight in government decision-making. It is crucial that policies work in harmony, addressing inequality and poverty, protecting low-income households while advancing our long-term vision of a sustainable, biodiversity-rich Ireland.
Dr. Elaine McGoff, Environmental Pillar spokesperson says: “This is the time for all political parties to show leadership and put the environment at the centre of their priorities for Government. It is critical that the next Government is organised in a way that places environmental sustainability at the heart of its decisions. This can only be achieved through a reorganisation of departmental responsibilities to ensure a robust Department of the Environment and a Department of Climate Action.”
“In addition”, McGoff continued “the Environmental Pillar is calling for parties to commit to a larger and better staffed NPWS and a greater focus on nature restoration and climate action in all our state bodies. This will require a reform of the legal mandates of key state agencies such as Coillte and Gas Networks Ireland, to ensure that they perform their functions in a manner consistent with legally binding carbon budgets, the land-use review and the Nature Restoration Law. State bodies are the largest landowners in the country, they should be models of best practice and manage their lands for nature restoration and climate obligations.”
Oisín Coghlan, Environmental Pillar Spokesperson says: “The scale of transformation required to meet our climate obligations may feel overwhelming, but there are concrete steps that the next Government can take which would have a real impact on emissions and at the same time would make meaningful improvements to our quality of life, ensuring that no person, regardless of their economic circumstance is left behind. Rejecting LNG, removing fossil fuel subsidies in our taxation system, providing free school bus places and retrofitting all social housing and the homes of those at-risk of energy poverty by 2030 are examples of the many ways we can reduce emissions and make Ireland a better place to live.”
Coghlan added, “we know what needs to be done, what is missing is the political will and sense of urgency to act now and a commitment from all political parties to an Ireland free of fossil fuels.”
The Environmental Pillar recommends that a new Government should:
- Create a dedicated full-Cabinet Department for Environment, Nature, Heritage and Natural Resources which would include all natural and built heritage functions and environmental functions, including the NPWS, the EPA and water divisions.
- Amalgamate Climate, transport and energy into one department.
- Revise the legal mandates for key state agencies and public bodies, such as Gas Networks Ireland, the CRU, Coillte, Bord Na Móna, Teagasc and ESB, to require that they perform their functions in a manner consistent with legally binding carbon budgets and the land-use review, and manage their land in line with Nature Restoration Law obligations.
The Environmental Pillar makes a series of recommendations in a number of key areas:
Nature, biodiversity and agri-food
- Establish an expert working group, including environmental organisations, to design and monitor the implementation of an ambitious Nature Restoration Plan.
- Ensure the proper funding of Ireland’s National Nature Restoration Plan through the creation of a National Nature Restoration Fund, to finance current and capital funding for the National Nature Restoration Plan.
- Support Sustainable Food and Farming, including a review of the Acres Co-operation programme to ensure that future agri-environmental flagship schemes are long-term, adequately funded, efficiently managed, locally-led and results-based and are aligned with biodiversity and climate change obligations.
- Enact long-overdue Marine Protected Area legislation to safeguard our seas.
Creating and Supporting Sustainable Communities
- Introduce a Site/Land Value Tax (SVT) to discourage property speculation, making housing more affordable, and mitigate the challenges of urban sprawl.
- Focus on reducing car use and commit to spending on public transport versus new roads at a ratio of at least 5:1 with at least 20% of the capital spend on transport to go on active travel.
- Introduce a plan for scaling up of progressive retrofitting and district heating measures in line with a clear timeline for ending installation of fossil fuel boilers in existing houses.
- Reject further expansion and connections to the gas distribution network and provide new housing developments with zero-carbon heating solutions, such as district heat, retrofitting, and heat pumps.
Fair and Just Climate Action Which Delivers for People and Communities
- Commit to retrofitting all social housing and the homes of those at-risk of energy poverty by 2030
- Introduce zero-interest loans for home renovations targeting low-income households, similar to models used in France and the Netherlands.
- Introduce an Energy Poverty Act in line with legislation in Scotland which would define energy poverty, set down ministerial duties, introduce legally bound targets and set up an independent energy poverty advisory council.
- Expand the Warmer Homes Scheme to include rental properties receiving the Housing Assistance Payment on the condition of a 5+year lease being offered to the tenant.
- Mandate a Commissioner or Ombudsman for Future Generations to advise the Government, following the Welsh model.
Clean, Renewable and Fossil-Free Energy
- Keep Ireland free of fracked gas and LNG imports by introducing a permanent ban in legislation and do not permit new infrastructure that prolongs our dependence on fossil fuels.
- Introduce a legal moratorium on data centres until an independent national review of current and projected data centre energy demand is undertaken.
- Introduce legislation to ban advertising for fossil fuel ads from companies or public bodies involved in fossil fuel production or distribution and ads about cars, boilers or flights that use fossil fuels.
- Develop an updated National Strategy for Renewable Energy Rollout to reflect: Greater microgeneration supports; Solar panels on the roof of every school and on the roofs of 1 million homes by 2030; Increase funding for community solar projects that allow low-income households to benefit from solar energy without needing to install individual systems; Support community energy groups with access to grid connection so that communities can lead the renewable nature positive energy transition
A Sustainable, Circular and Low Carbon Economy
- Expedite the elimination of environmentally damaging subsidies in the taxation system, including but not limited to:
o Aviation – A ticket charge (climate charge), with revenue to be hypothecated for climate and nature restoration and the introduction of a charge on the landing and departing of private jets in Ireland
o Remove the VAT exemption on fertilisers prior to the 2032 EU deadline
- Scale up investment in re-usable packaging initiatives and associated infrastructure
- Invest in Civic Amenity sites to support a transition from waste management to resource enhancement through refurbishment and re-use, as per Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy
You can access the manifesto here: Environmental Pillar Manifesto 2024
