According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global temperatures have already risen by 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels and it is increasingly likely that they will exceed 1.5 °C within the next decade without rapid emission cuts. The United Nations environmental programme estimates that around 1 million species are at risk of extinction, largely due to human activity. In 2019, Dáil Éireann declared a climate and biodiversity emergency, becoming the second country in the world to do that. However, there are targets to meet under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 and Ireland's fourth national biodiversity action plan. There are loads of action plans with all of these targets set out but if we do not meet them, we are off track and we will have a seriously detrimental effect on our future. The Environmental Protection Agency reported in May 2025 that even with all the planned policies, Ireland is off track for its 2030 climate goals, with only a 23% reduction in emissions expected. Despite growing awareness, data from a global survey done by UNESCO showed that 70% of young people surveyed could not explain exactly what climate change is or explain it very well. While climate change spans many subjects in schools, we need a dedicated subject. However, it is not only for young people in schools but for all of us - individuals trying to offset problems caused by industry and external factors outside this country. These are tiny things, drops in the ocean. As a city TD, I have to say that nature, biodiversity and all of those things are so vital. We are very vulnerable to pollution, both in the future and now.

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