Task Force Needed to Protect Poorest Communities from Climate Crisis
Labour’s climate spokesperson Senator Rebecca Moynihan has today called on Government to establish a taskforce to investigate how the climate crisis will impact the poorest in society.
Senator Moynihan said:
“The recent report released by the Codema has sounded a stark alarm bell on the impending and disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on our society’s most vulnerable populations. The findings underscore the urgent need for immediate governmental action to safeguard the most marginalised communities from the escalating effects of climate change. Climate denial and agitation is a strategy being adopted by the far right along with other issues so it it imperative that we take action to protect the poorest among us from being susceptible to bad actors in the debate.
“The report’s conclusions are deeply troubling: the poorest among us will bear the brunt of the climate crisis unless swift and decisive measures are taken. These communities are more susceptible to the adverse effects of extreme weather events, rising energy costs, and inadequate housing infrastructure. Without immediate intervention, the cycle of inequality and hardship will only exacerbate.
“Labour are calling for Government to establish a specialised taskforce dedicated to investigating and implementing a just transition strategy for our most vulnerable communities. This task force must be equipped with the mandate and resources to develop targeted measures aimed at providing crucial support to those who will be disproportionately affected. This could include measures such as using the Pobal deprivation index to pilot district retrofitting schemes, allowing private householders to buy into a public sector led retrofit.
“We need to be willing to adopt innovative ideas to speed up our pace of energy transformation and target the most disadvantaged first
“It is imperative to emphasise that addressing the impacts of the climate crisis on the most vulnerable is not a luxury or a matter reserved for the privileged few. This issue transcends socioeconomic boundaries and demands immediate political attention and action. Failure to act now will not only exacerbate social inequality but also deepen the climate emergency we face as a nation.”