SDLP Energy Spokesperson Sinéad McLaughlin has called for urgent action to address the climate crisis before it’s too late.
She was speaking after a spate of climate influenced incidents including record high temperatures in the North, widespread flooding and fires in Greece, Turkey and the Russian Arctic.
Ms McLaughlin said the worsening severity of the climate crisis proved the need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources, eliminating as fast as possible the use of climate changing fossil fuels.
Said the Foyle MLA: “Our continuing dependence on the fossil fuels of oil, coal and gas is leading to an accelerating climate crisis.
“We can see the evidence of this in terrible events happening not only in Ireland, but around the world – flooding in Ireland and much of Europe as well as across Asia, with more forecast for the North this weekend.
“We also have awful fires raging in the United States, Australia, Greece and Turkey as well as record breaking heat across North America and in the Arctic.
“We must break the cycle of fossil fuel dependence by moving even quicker to the use of renewable energy.
“The North has the natural resources to enable us to do this.
“Technological developments are making the delivery of renewable energy ever more cost efficient.
“In the process, this can create a new generation of jobs for people here.
“While we have large numbers of wind turbines inland, we have more opportunities for offshore wind turbines, as well as exploiting solar, geothermal, tidal and wave energy.
“These developments need to go along with the storage of energy through battery technologies and hydrogen.
“We have not only an opportunity to make a difference, but a duty to do what we can to mitigate the climate disaster that is now happening around us, with evidence emerging of this on an almost daily basis.
“We can’t carry on as normal or pretend this isn’t happening, it is beginning to have a real impact on our lives and we need to take action now before it’s too late.”
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