Opposition to the ‘Greening of Gas and Nuclear‘

Former Councillor Cian Prendiville, the local People Before Profit representative for Limerick, has urged local Green Party TD Brian Leddin to come out against an EU proposal to label gas and nuclear as a green energy.

Deputy Leddin is the chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action but has so far not made any comment on the recent statements of EU Commissioner Mairead McGuiness suggesting energy from gas and nuclear should be recategorised as green energy.

In a statement, he said,

"The EU Commissioner, Mairead McGuiness, was strongly lobbied by corporate interests to label gas and nuclear as ‘green energy’.

"This makes a mockery of the EU’s claim to be a world leader in measures to avert climate change. Gas is a fossil fuel that will increase carbon emissions while nuclear energy leaves behind waste that does not decay for centuries.

"How can any serious politician pretend these are part of a sustainable agenda – unless they are practising for a comedy routine.?

"The EU Commission will need to garner support from national governments for this absurd move as it will have to be agreed at the EU Council.

"The Dáil should declare Ireland’s outright opposition to this plan – as other countries have done.

"The Green Party will have to decide whether it wishes to join its coalition partners in rank hypocrisy or stand by its verbal opposition to climate change’."