Environmental organisation, An Taisce, has called for mandatory reduction in dairy cow numbers and an end to the nitrates derogation as emergency measures which could be taken to tackle climate change.
It follows the publication of the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) earlier this week, which said that there are “multiple, feasible and effective options” currently available to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The synthesis report, which evaluates six major reports issued since 2018, said that the current pace and scale of climate action are insufficient to tackle climate change and that accelerated action is required.
An Taisce responded to the publication of the report by stating: “It will be a further six years or more before the collective wisdom of the world’s top climate scientists is revised.
“By then, the planet will almost certainly have passed through the first tipping point of warming of 1.5°C above its pre-industrial level.
“By then, the demise of the homes of millions of people in low-lying and vulnerable areas will be well underway. By then the world will be on what the United Nations (UN) describes as the ‘Highway to Hell’.”
An Taisce proposals
An Taisce has said despite the concerning reports which are consistently published, the world, and in particular, Ireland, does not seem “to get the message”.
The organisation said: “The two main parties in government acquiesce in stifling measures in order to keep their key supporters onside for the next election.
“The climate emergency demands emergency action and toes to be tread on. Why are we not getting the leadership that the problem and the people demand?”
An Taisce has stated that there are some immediate measures which could be introduced that would help to mitigate the current warming of the planet.
Emeritus professor John Sweeney of An Taisce’s Climate Change Committee stated: “Emergency action, such as was taken during Covid-19, should include a mandatory reduction in car usage through immediate congestion charges, VRT penalties on high emitters, higher parking charges and reduced, or zero fares on all public transport; accelerating the retrofit programme.”
The environmental organisation is also calling for mandatory reduction in dairy cow numbers over the next two years and an end to the nitrates derogation.
“This report from the IPCC is the ‘final warning’. The time for plans and hopes for technological miracles is over,” Prof. Sweeney added.
“In the words of Antonio Guterres, ‘our world needs climate action on all fronts, everything, everywhere, all at once’. Nowhere is this truer than in Ireland.”
Theresa O’Donohoe of the Clare Association of An Taisce added: “We need dependable public transport, free of charge to encourage behavioural change in rural Ireland.
“We also need a retrofitting programme that understands the nature of housing in rural Ireland as there is no one size that fits all.
“Small farmers must be supported for the changes they need to make. Why are we subsidising fossil fuels to the tune of €2.5 billion per year? The polluter, especially the better-off in society, must pay and facilitate a just transition for those who struggle with fuel poverty,” she concluded.