Plans for using gas as a transitional fuel are "imperfect," according to the Oireachtas Committee

July 10, 2018

The Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action and the Environment concluded its second hearing on the Climate Emergency Measures Bill this afternoon.

The purpose of the bill is to amend the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act 1960 to prevent the government from issuing new licenses for the exploration and extraction of fuels fossils.

Speaking to the audience, Matt Collins, of the Department of Climate Action, said that Ireland would continue to depend on oil and gas over the next decade.

He argues that natural gas continues to be a fuel in the short and medium term

M. Collins said Ireland should move towards sustainability while protecting its safety and competitiveness through the exploration of fossil fuels in Ireland, with 85% of our energy currently being imported. Gregg Muttitt, of the Climate Change and Energy think tank Oil Change International, told the committee that Ireland's current dependence on coal, oil and gas would make him miss the climatic objectives of Paris.

"The best way is a successful decline in fossil fuel consumption, with investments in renewable energy," he said. He argued that the idea of ​​using gas as a transitional fuel is a "flawed" plan because it does not fit into current market budgets.

million. Muttitt said that there is too much gas in the electrical system and that the transition to renewable energy will be slower if gas is allowed to compete with wind and solar power.

MP Brid Smith, who introduced the bill, argued that, when pbaded, he will send a global signal and force the government to recognize the current "climate emergency".

She said that Ireland had no "security, energy or any other, with the planet in the state that it is," adding that we will not manage to keep 80% of fossil fuels in the soil without challenging the fossil fuel industry.

Paul Allen of the Zero Carbon Britain campaign spoke of the gap between physics and the political status quo. He warned that hopes of carbon storage and negative energy technology impose an enormous burden on future generations and that we are "better able to root ourselves in what physics demands" .

In order to provide factual data, Allen recommended that the Irish Government exploit its renewable potential by investing in wind technology both at sea and at sea.

He also emphasized the fact that we must urgently reduce our "extreme". energy lifestyles and aim for a sixty percent reduction in the next two decades.

He proposed to deal with the fluctuation of the supply of renewable energy by storing excess energy until there is a slowdown of renewable energy production. The stored energy can be used to power the electricity in case of lack of solar and wind energy.

The Committee adjourned until 1:30 pm tomorrow when it will consider the EU's proposals to reduce the impact of the plastic dumping and waste problems. illegal waste raised by RTE Investigates last month.