As Deputy Cummins said, Ireland declared a climate and biodiversity emergency back in 2019. This motion aims to renew that because absolutely nothing has happened. It is a bit like St. Augustine when he said, "Grant me chastity and continence, Lord, but not yet". We talk the talk, but we never walk the climate action walk, and that is a depressing fact. I do not have time in two minutes to talk about biodiversity but my statements on biodiversity were made quite recently and are on the Dáil record. However, I do want to talk about our overall approach to climate action. It is a pity that there are no Sinn Féin Ddeputies in the House because Shinners speak with forked tongues when it comes to climate and carbon taxes. No one likes a carbon tax, and obviously in the context of the fuel emergency right now we need to give short-term measures to people, but the concept of a carbon tax is accepted worldwide. It is the implementation of it that is the issue. Some of our Sinn Féin colleagues mentioned that it does not necessarily help rural Ireland enough and that the current implementation of it does not help poorer families, that it disproportionately helps those who are better off. However, the principle of a climate tax actually makes sense to discourage the use of fossil fuels and encourage people to move towards alternatives. This is where we get to the point that we do not have those alternatives. There has been underinvestment in public transport and the grid to allow us to be self-sufficient and self-reliant in energy and have EVs powered solely by Ireland. We have done nothing about tidal or wave power. We are gradually getting towards offshore wind power and have done very little about solar power either. We are way behind in terms of meeting our 2030 obligations and have to wake up and smell the coffee. We might be making a small net contribution to climate change, but we are disproportionate in terms of population and we have a responsibility towards Ireland and the world.

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