Irish aren’t as stupid as NZ

The Irish examiner reports:

The Government has affirmed its support for offshore oil and gas exploration.

In doing so, it has formally criticised a bill aimed at banning drilling, by saying it “will do nothing” to reduce Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Addressing delegates at the Atlantic Ireland exploration conference in Dublin, yesterday, Seán Canney — Rural Affairs and Natural Resources junior minister — said while fossil fuel consumption will reduce over time, Ireland will continue to need oil and gas supplies for the foreseeable future.

So the Irish Government understands this, but not the NZ one.

He said People Before Profit’s Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) Climate Emergency Measures Bill 2018, which is currently at Oireachtas Committee stage, might be well-intentioned, but won’t help Ireland lower its emissions or levels of imported energy.

“Instead, it proposes simply to bind us to only importing our future oil or gas needs,” he said.

This is the future Labour, Greens and NZ First have signed up to – importing.