David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It was certainly a major achievement to get more than 170 signatures on the deal agreed in Paris in December at the first time of asking, but what matters is making it legally binding. While I welcome the Paris deal, it does not go far enough and is only a step on a long, hard road.

There are powerful reasons to pursue the Paris summit objective. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, each of the past 11 months was warmer than the 20th century average. Yet governments still resist the commitment to greening their economies that will turn the Paris deal from an exercise in global co-operation to a watershed for addressing global warming. For the Paris Agreement to work there must be a clear signal that the age of fossil fuels is over, a commitment to improve national climate action, and ways to make polluters pay for the damage they cause. The Paris Agreement has achieved progress on two of the above aims, but mostly failed on the third. Justice and corporate accountability were the weakest points of the Paris deal.

After Paris, there can be no doubt that the time is up for fossil fuels. Governments chose convoluted language, but the only realistic way to achieve the new long-term goal is to phase out fossil fuels by 2050. Politically speaking, the Paris Agreement goes further than the commitment to decarbonise made at the G7 summit earlier this year. We already know that the pledges governments made at Paris are not good enough and will still lead to a very dangerous and destructive world. The Paris Agreement does not force governments to change quickly. That is in blatant contradiction with the new goal to limit the increase in global temperatures to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels, which can only be achieved if we make drastic emissions cuts in the next ten to 15 years. The agreement does help slightly by setting a review date of 2018 for current commitments. It also makes it clear that there will be regular reviews every five years and that countries will always have to improve what they commit to.

Overall, the Paris Agreement fails the justice test. Fine words such as "climate justice" and "human rights" are included only in the non-binding part of the text. Indigenous people's rights are not given the protection they deserve. Just as with emission cuts, we know that the current money available to help those affected to adapt to climate change is not enough. The Paris deal does too little to change that. "Loss and damage," which refers to negative climate impacts that cannot be adapted to, has, however, been included in the agreement, and that much is welcome. However, the Paris Agreement fails to support the idea that major carbon polluters should be made accountable for the damage they have caused. Inaction on climate change violates human rights, and while Paris is an important step forward, the agreement is just one stop on the long road to climate justice. The key issue is not what is in this deal but what will happen next.

It is essential that the Government take the issue of climate change seriously. A major influence on how we tackle climate change will be how we approach the issue of energy. Ireland still relies heavily on fossil fuel for its energy supply, the majority of which is imported, with all the inherent dangers, costs and potential long-term shocks to our economy.

In order to tackle climate change, Ireland must produce its own energy from renewable sources. Sinn Féin believes that the best way to develop renewable energy is in conjunction with communities, and the Government must provide supports for community energy projects. It should not be about privatisation or big industries coming in to take over the renewable energy market. It needs to be more community-based and there must be more consultation on all the different renewable energy options that must be implemented in the State. Existing State companies such as Bord na Móna, Coillte and the ESB must take a serious role in renewable energy production.

As it stands, Ireland has not set its energy targets for 2020, which is regrettable. Whatever configuration of Government is put in place in the coming days needs to do that. It needs to be a priority if we are to take our responsibilities in this area seriously. It is therefore imperative that the Government take the initiative in developing a workable renewable energy policy that delivers climate justice and ensures that Ireland play its part in achieving a safer, cleaner and greener planet. That is what Sinn Féin wants.

The agreement reached in Paris is an important step forward.

This State and other countries have far more to do to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and move us towards a green and sustainable future.

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