Social Partner welcomes the Climate Change Response Bill

PRESS RELEASE 16th December, 2010   Social Partner welcomes the Climate Change Response Bill   Dublin - 16th December, 2010.  The Environment Pillar of Social Partnership today welcomed the publication of the Climate Change Response Bill. However, it said the Bill's ambition to transition Ireland to a smart low-carbon, high-value, high-employment economy needs to be sharpened, with a stronger stimulus created from more ambitious emission reduction targets.   Pat Finnegan, Co-ordinator of the Environment Pillar's Climate/Energy Working Group said in a statement issued in Dublin today: "The Environment Pilar has always supported climate change legislation because we believe smart and truly sustainable economic policy must aim to build wealth while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gases and tackling climate change. Decarbonisation is already one of the world's fastest growing economic activities. This is a trend that can only continue to grow. The Bill published today takes a far too conservative approach to Ireland's opportunities to decarbonise the economy and create thousands of new jobs on a sustainable basis. The Environment Pillar calls on all political parties, all other social partners and the general public to grasp the opportunity in the consultation phase of today's legislation to sharpen the targets proposed in the Bill and enhance the opportunity to create a smart, low-carbon, high-value, high-employment Irish economy fit for the 21st century."   # # # For further details, info, opinion, etc. please contact:   Pat Finnegan,(Co-ordinator, Environment Pillar Climate/Energy Working Group) -  086 856 8520   Molly Walsh, (Environment Pillar Climate/Energy Working Group) -  087 925 2820     Note 1:  In April 2009, Minister for the Environment John Gormley announced the inclusion of environmental groups as part of the Social Partnership process to "ensure that economic decisions have at their very core the concept of sustainability". The Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership is comprised of 27 National Environmental Groups.   Note 2:  The Climate Change Response Bill can be found at: ( link to be inserted)       Please feel free to contact Danny Walsh, Communications Officer, Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership at danny@ien.ie for details or to arrange interviews with representatives of the Environmental Pillar.     Danny Walsh Communications Officer Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership 1 Green Street, Dublin 7, Ireland. http://www.environmentalpillar.ie Email: danny@ien.ie Tel: 01 878 0116 / 01 878 0115