6 December 2015, 9.36pm
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
The Green Party candidate for Cork North Central, Oliver Moran, tonight expressed his concern for all affected by Storm Desmond and condemned Labour and Fine Gael’s approach to climate change.
Oliver Moran (Green Party)
Mr Moran told TheCork.ie
“The EPA is the state body responsible for environmental protection. In 2013, it warned that climate change would bring more intense storms and rainfall events. What we saw this weekend is that prediction bearing out in fact.”
Reflecting on last week’s events at the COP21 conference in Paris and on the passing of a climate change bill in Leinster House, Mr Moran said:
“[Minister] Alan Kelly had already made it clear that this government has no intention of living up to its EU commitments on climate action. Then, last week, we had the charade of Labour taking credit for the passing of a climate change bill without powers or binding targets. At the time, the Taoieach was making incredulous statements in Paris at the COP21 conference. As John Gibbons of An Taisce said last week, we are at risk of becoming a global pariah because of this government’s cynical attitude to climate change commitments.”
Continuing Moran said:
“We need action now to help those affected by Storm Desmond. We need Fine Gael and Labour to wake up to climate change too. They seem to think of climate policy in terms of election-time gimmicks. As I pointed out last week, climate change is affecting lives and business now. It’s real. Labour and Fine Gael need to get real too.”
On the Green Party’s record in government, Moran said:
“When the Green Party left government in 2010, we handed Labour a real climate change bill. All they had to do was pass it. What was passed last week was a watered down and toothless version of the same. Nothing more than a greenwash by Labour.”
