[Press Release: November 8, 2000]

Greens call for action on global warming!

Following the severe weather conditions and the flash flooding of the last few days, the Green Party is calling on the government to take immediate action on global warming. According to Green Party councillor Deirdre de Burca, the past few days have given people some sense of the kind of weather which will become a more regular occurrence in the future if we do not take action now. She expressed her sympathy for all those people in County Wicklow who have experienced flooding or other hardships due to the adverse weather conditions during the past few days.

"International scientific research shows that human beings are changing the chemical make-up of the earth's atmosphere by adding to it green house gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide" says councillor de Burca. "Carbon dioxide is produced by the burning of foosil fuels and unfortunately we now have a world economy which depends on energy produced by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. There has been a very significant rise in world temperatures over the past 100 years, with the 1990's showing a dramatic increase".

According to councillor de Burca, the first step which the government should take is the introduction of a high profile and comprehensive public education campaign to help people to understand just how serious the situation is, and the steps which they can take to tackle the problem. She also argues that the government must shift taxes from labour and income to energy usage, and that a wide range of financial incentives should be available to encourage people to switch to cleaner, renewable energy sources.

While the Green Party has welcomed the recent launch of Minister Dempsey's National Climate Change Strategy, the party has argued that the document is very short on specifics. "While we agree with the general thrust of the document" says councillor de Burca "we have pointed out that it is in direct conflict with the provisions of the National Development Plan. If the National Development Plan is implemented as it stands at present, it will result in huge increases in carbon dioxide emissions across sectors such as transport, agriculture and industry. We will all pay for this in the long term".

For further information please contact Deirdre de Burca on 086 8061450 or email deburca@wicklowgreens.org.