John Gormley

Negotiations are continuing here in Bali as the deadline for agreement on a roadmap to a new climate change deal approaches. There is no official cut-off, but we need to reach an agreement by the early hours of Saturday morning.

As to be expected this is painstakingly slow, but the bottom line for me is that we simply need a Bali roadmap if we are to stand a chance of getting a climate change deal for 2012.

The main stumbling block remains the issue of whether the agreement contains wording that developed nations must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 25 per cent and 40 per cent.

A small number of powerful countries, including the United States and Canada, are resistant to this. The European Union group, of which Ireland is a member, wants to see such a commitment in the roadmap.

The reason we have taken this position is that this is the figure identified by the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change as being necessary if the world is to stabilise greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere by 2020, and thus avoid potentially catastrophic climate change.

The conference here in Bali is about much more than this point.

We need a comprehensive agreement that delivers on the building blocks for four key areas; mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and financing. I know this sounds somewhat complicated, but it’s important. These four blocks are all essentials for a workable deal.

Mitigation, that is what commitments countries need take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is of course an absolute must in any post-Kyoto deal.

Adaptation to unavoidable climate change is vital, especially for countries and areas most vulnerable to its effects, like the major river delta areas.

Technology transfer, in terms of developing alternative technologies to reduce energy demand, developing renewable energy sources, and even sequestering carbon dioxide, is essential too.

And none can take place without financing measures in place, to put a price on carbon, and ensure that money is directed to the areas where it is needed.

Despite the slowness of the process, I remain optimistic. At our daily meeting of EU ministers this morning, the mood remained determined and positive.

Today I met Reinhard Butikofer, who is the chairman of the German Green Party, and he shared my optimism. We simply cannot fail here in Bali.

Meanwhile the international names have arrived in Bali today, and are the centre of media attention. Al Gore spoke at the conference to a packed hall yesterday evening, while New York mayor Mike Bloomberg also gave a talk. I think the attendance of people like Al Gore and Mike Bloomberg is hugely important. It brings a strong focus on what we are trying to achieve here in Bali.

The work here in Bali is set to intensify tomorrow as our deadline for agreement draws close.

The work of the politicians is now under way in earnest at the UN climate change conference in Bali. Today the discussions and debate about climate change moved from behind-the-scenes working groups and into the political arena with the arrival of the ministers, heads of state and political leaders.

With the horrific bombing of UN offices in Algiers yesterday, and the start of political talks, security has been increased even further in Nusa Dua, where the conference is taking place.

My day began with a co-ordination meeting of EU ministers at 8.30am. This provides an opportunity for the Portuguese team, which is leading the talks on behalf of the EU Presidency, to brief us on the state of the discussions. The scale of the task before us – getting agreement on a roadmap for a new international deal on climate change – was clear from what we heard. In the EU, we have adopted a common and consistent approach, which is that a successful outcome at Bali is absolutely vital if we are to get a new deal on climate change in 2009.

Bali, if successful, will deliver the foundation for that deal. It will define the parameters of the deal, and the way in which it will be reached and it will ensure that all countries will play their part.

In the last 24 hours or so, resistance to the proposed agreement has increased among a small number of developed countries, especially towards one element of the proposed Bali agreement. That proposal is that the developed nations will commit in principle to a reduction of between 25 per cent to 40 per cent cut in emissions. The opposing countries claim a commitment like this cannot be made in advance of the detailed discussions to follow Bali.

I fundamentally disagree, as do my EU counterparts. Developed nations like Ireland have contributed most to the problem of climate change in terms of emissions. And if there is to be any chance of a successful world agreement involving large developing countries like China and India, then developed countries must prove the extent of their commitment to tackling climate change.

The formal “high level” session began shortly after 10am. It is called “high level” because it involves ministers and political leader.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was the first to speak and he told us that global warming was “the moral challenge of our generation.”

Australia’s new prime minister Kevin Rudd also spoke and he received a loud round of applause when he informed us that he had just signed the Kyoto Treaty, reversing the long-standing Australian policy.

But of all the speakers yesterday morning, I was most impressed by Yvo de Boer, the executive secretary to the UNFCCC, the UN body charged with brokering the new climate change deal. I was struck by his comparison of the lack of action by some governments on tackling climate change with the preparation by the military in those very same countries for conflict caused by the effects of climate change, like fertile land and water shortages.

I was also struck by the video presentation by Professor Rajendra Pachauri, the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Dr Pachauri is still in Oslo collecting the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the IPCC. However few in the conference hall who watched this genial soft-spoken scientist’s calm presentation of the compelling evidence of climate change could be under any illusion that reductions, starting with the developed nations, have to be made if the worst effects of climate change are to be avoided.

For me today was also an important one, as I had the opportunity to speak at the session on behalf of Ireland. I could do little more than echo what those this morning have said: that climate change is real, that we have a small window of opportunity to tackle it, and that we developed nations have a moral obligation as the worst polluters to lead the way on emissions reductions.

Of course tackling climate change also provides enormous opportunities for our economies to become much more efficient and technologically advanced.

However there is an overriding moral imperative here. We owe it to the tens of millions of people, many yet unborn, who face serious disruption at best, and famine, disease and displacement at worst, because of climate change.
If developed nations fail to deliver an agreement where we make the large cuts, we will be judged harshly by future generations.

Here is the speech I delivered today to heads of state and ministers from around the world.

It has been another good day here at the UN Climate Change Conference. As I said yesterday, the aim of the conference is to reach international consensus on a road map to a new world agreement on climate change.

Although from some of the reaction to my blog, there appears to be more comment on my attire, that is to say, the sandals I was pictured wearing yesterday. I can assure those who have concerns about my sartorial decisions, that I will be ‘suited and booted’ from first thing tomorrow, when the official political discussions begin. And I can also assure you I haven’t been letting the side down on the dress front. So far the dress code has been informal, and for a good reason: making sure that the air conditioning is kept to a minimum! It is 28° in Bali today, with humidity approaching 90%.

To date the detailed work at the conference has been carried out by officials in what are called working groups. But the jackets and ties return tomorrow when the ministers and political leaders become directly involved. It has meant that I have not become personally involved in official discussions yet. That begins tomorrow.

So today I took the opportunity to meet the Irish voluntary organisations and charities (NGOs) who are also attending the conference. NGOs have played a vital role in the evolution of international climate change and environmental policy. Irish NGOs have a strong presence here in Bali. They include Niamh Garvey of Trocaire, Mark Ruttledge of Feasta, Pat Finnegan of Grian, Fr Sean McDonagh of the Columban Missionaries, and Declan Murphy from the Ecology Foundation.

I know many of the above personally and I have huge admiration for their work on and commitment to tackling climate change. I found the meeting extremely useful to have a wide ranging discussion on many of the subjects at the core of the climate change agenda for Ireland.

Issues of primary concern which they outlined to me include what Ireland will do in terms of reduction carbon emissions post-Kyoto. The development agenda, and how developing countries can be assisted rather than hindered by any climate change deal, was also a priority. Almost all of the NGOs also highlighted to me the issue of climate change awareness in Ireland, and the need to do much more to heighten awareness about it, and what individuals, business and communities can and should be doing.

We will of course be rolling out our awareness campaign early next year, and I am hopeful that the Irish NGOs will have an essential role in this.

I also met representatives of Greenpeace today. The campaign group is probably best known for their campaign against nuclear energy, but Greenpeace has a much wider agenda than that. They were particularly keen to talk to myself and the officials from the Department of the Environment about our proposed new minimum energy efficiency standards for light bulbs, which will see the end to the use of traditional light bulbs.

I announced plans for this at the Carbon Budget last week. It will be implemented in 2009 and will hopefully result in savings of more than 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

The replacement bulbs such as CFLs and LEDs, may be more expensive, but even in the short term the measure will result in people actually saving money through lower electricity bills and the longer life of new technology bulbs. All-told householders could save in excess of €185 million in reduced electricity bills every year.

Greetings from Bali.

Bali is one of larger islands among the thousands that make up Indonesia. And from the little I have seen of it since I arrived yesterday evening, it is truly beautiful. It is one of the most popular tourist resorts in South East Asia and it is easy to understand why so many tourists flock here. Unfortunately I will have very little time on this trip to see much of the island. Having seen and heard the weather reports in Ireland in recent days, I know there will be little sympathy for me having to work for the duration of my stay on this tropical island paradise. However I am, along with counterparts from around the world, here in Bali for a very, very important reason.

Bali is playing host to a major UN conference on climate change, arguably one of the most important meetings on the subject to have ever taken place. I’m one of more than 200 ministers and prime ministers who will attend the conference over the next five days. And I am very glad, indeed honoured, to be representing Ireland at this conference.

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The Green Party today published an alcohol position paper, aimed at tackling alcohol related harm in our society. Green Party Chairman and Health spokesperson John Gormley TD said it was necessary to change the way alcohol is marketed and sold in Ireland to address the ongoing problems of alcohol addiction and binge-drinking.

Deputy Gormley said: “Bank Holiday weekends tend to be a time of over-indulgence in alcohol. We are not saying that people should stay away from the pub but we do need to address the ongoing problems that alcohol related harm has on our society. Since 2004, most of the recommendations of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol have been languishing in the Government’s filing cabinets. They have shelved the Alcohol Products Bill and withdrawn from the Groceries Order, which allows off-licences to sell alcohol at below cost. (more…)

– Govt has abandoned 2001 health strategy, says Gormley

The Green Party today outlined its vision on reforming the health service, and promised to deliver 2,000 extra acute beds in its first five years in government, in a bid to end the ‘national emergency’ in Ireland’s A&E units. Speaking at the launch of Party’s policy document on hospitals and funding this morning, Health spokesperson John Gormley TD said that the Green Party would also stop Mary Harney’s ‘co-location’ plans to build private hospitals on public land.

Deputy Gormley said: “There are very few people on the front lines of medicine who advocate co-location. Indeed many respected health experts have described the idea as ‘cloud cuckoo land’. If we want to improve our public health service then we must invest in public beds, not private, for-profit hospitals, which will undoubtedly cherry-pick the least-complicated and most profitable procedures, leaving the most difficult tasks to public hospitals. This move will also result in higher premiums for the privately insured. If insurance costs continue to rise, then more people will be forced back into a seriously depleted public system. The Green Party is making it very clear today that we will scrap these plans. It would appear from some reports that there is also little enthusiasm in some quarters of the HSE for this hair-brained scheme.

“Many of the problems of our health service can be traced back to a lack of acute public beds, intensive care unit beds and step-down staff. The Green Party is committed to implementing the 2001 health strategy, which the FF-PD Government has totally abandoned. We will invest in 400 acute beds per annum, over a seven year period. We will do the same in relation to step-down beds. This target allows for the improvement of bed capacity on a phased and planned basis, taking into account fluctuations in population. The main point in relation to bed capacity is that there has been a 25 per cent reduction in beds since the 1980s, in startling contrast to the 25 per cent increase in population.

“The Green Party has already published a comprehensive document on primary healthcare. In our first term in office we would like to introduce free primary healthcare for the under sixes. It is our aim to phase in free access to primary healthcare for all citizens over a ten year period.

“About 53 per cent of our population has private health insurance and the Green Party believes that community rating and risk equalisation are the fairest ways to ensure equality of treatment for those taking out insurance. It is clear, however, that increasing numbers of people are turning to health insurance because they lack confidence in our public health system. If we are to begin to tackle the two-tiered health system we must start investing in crucial elements of the public health service. It should be noted that A&E units do not distinguish between public and private and that, similarly, over 73 per cent of people in our public hospitals, whether they be private or insured, come through A&E.

“We are committed to providing an extra consultants for the public health service. But it is clear that money is not the only impediment to achieving a satisfactory resolution to the ongoing dispute with consultants. Many consultants who are committed to delivering a top-class public health service have stated that the contract, as advertised, lacks sufficient administration time. These issues cannot be ignored, and indeed, should have been resolved years ago.”

“We also believe that greater efficiencies can be introduced into the system in relation to types of payment and that the HSE must become more accountable,” concluded Deputy Gormley.

Statement by Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD:

“It now appears that Tánaiste Michael McDowell has pulled back from his headline grabbing statement in relation to the Poolbeg incinerator. Yesterday Mr. McDowell was quite emphatic when he said that the PDs would not agree in Government to finance the Poolbeg incinerator, effectively making this a pre-condition for Government.

“Today at a press conference he stated that the incinerator would have to be consistent with Government policy. As usual, this clarification will not get the same publicity as his previous statement. The fact is that Dick Roche has agreed that the Poolbeg plant is consistent with Government policy and Michael McDowell has had ample opportunity to stop this incinerator while sitting at the cabinet table.

“The Green Party put down a private members’ bill on the issue and the PDs voted it down. Michael McDowell at the last election implied that stopping the incinerator was a condition for Government. He’s trying to perform the same trick again. On this occasion, the voters in Dublin South East have wised up to his posturing.”

Green Party Chairman and Dublin South East TD John Gormley has accused Michael McDowell of opportunism on the issue of the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg.

Deputy Gormley said: “This latest election promise is a pathetic last gasp effort to regain credibility on the issue. People should see through this election gimmick. Stopping the incinerator was a central plank of Michael McDowell’s election campaign in 2002. He told voters that he would be best placed of all the candidates to stop the project as he would be sitting at the cabinet table and could change government policy. Once elected however, Minister McDowell forgot about that promise

“The record shows that the government voted down a Green Party motion to stop the incinerator. We have been very clear that in government this incinerator will not go ahead.

“I believe that the planning case against this incinerator is unanswerable. The site selection process was flawed, the traffic impact would be disastrous and, most importantly, there is no need for this massive facility. However, in the past we have seen cases where the An Bord Pleanála’s inspector recommended against the project on planning grounds, only to have this decision overturned by the Bord on the basis of ‘government policy’. This is what happened with the incinerator at Ringaskiddy, and more recently with the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road stadium.

“A recent independent report on waste management in Ireland found that our reliance on incineration is in fact a major impediment to meeting our targets under the EU Landfill Directive. This report, by leading European environmental consultants Eunomia, found that alternatives to incineration could be put in place more quickly and at less cost. We urgently need a change in Government policy, otherwise we will be lumbered with a collection of massive incinerators, which, in the words of Dr Dominic Hogg, the author of the Eunomia report, will ‘crowd out recycling options’.

Green Party Health spokesperson John Gormley TD has called on the Government to set a date for the introduction of a 35-hour working work for nurses, before an all-out strike occurs.

Deputy Gormley said: “We now have seven days in which the Government and the HSE can de-escalate this dispute. This could be resolved by giving the nurses’ representative bodies a date for the introduction of a 35-hour week. If this was done any outstanding problems in relation to pay increases under benchmarking could be quickly resolved.

“The nurses have indicated that they are more than willing to be flexible and they do not want this dispute to escalate into full-scale industrial action. It is regrettable that their expectations of flexibility from the Government and HSE, was not fulfilled.

“In a letter to the INO the Taoiseach indicated that the Government was prepared to engage fully and with an open mind with the nurses’ representatives. Regrettably this did not happen. Instead any attempt to get a date for the introduction of a 35-hour week was resolutely refused.

“The Green Party believes that the nurses and their unions have legitimate grievances and the Government must face up to these by setting a date for the introduction of a 35-hour working week to bring this dispute to an end.”

I raised the issue of the smell from the Ringsend sewage treatment plant – which was bad in the third week of March - at a meeting with the City Manager on Friday last. Matt Twomey, the Assistant City Manager, insisted that the smell problem had been dealt with and that the tenders for the proposed extension were now being finalised. I know from my conversations with the engineers there that this is largely a capacity problem. The plant was actually running at full capacity when it was commissioned. Dick Roche has refused repeatedly to conduct an investigation into how such a fundamental error could occur. This is the same man who wanted an investigation into the Galway drinking water problem – although he seems to have gone quiet on the investigation idea over the weekend. An investigation would reveal a lot about the workings of his department and their role in the drinking water problem not just in Galway but elsewhere. Bad planning is the root cause of these problems, and our Minister for the Environment has allowed this laissez faire planning to continue in the country.

The real solution to the odour problem in Ringsend is to extend the existing plant and to build a series of smaller plants elsewhere in the city. As we have seen first-hand here, the mega engineering solution does not work. In fairness, I recall my former colleague, Cllr Claire Wheeler, making this point at the time.

I also raised the issue of the inadequate protection for the new playgrounds in Ringsend Park. The Manager promised that he would look into this.