We call upon the Irish Government to #stopCETA!

CETA could devastate efforts to enact progressive legislation on housing, health, labour, env & climate.

🇮🇪 is not obliged to ratify CETA and there is no compelling rationale in favour of doing so! 🧵

businesspost.ie/legal/comment-… The trade related chapters of CETA were ratified by the European Parliament in 2017.

The investment chapter of CETA [allowing companies to sue countries] will only come into effect if the agreement is ratified by all 27 EU member states - including Ireland.

The implications of our historic Supreme Court case must not be undermined by Ireland’s Climate Bill 2020.

We have serious concerns on this front & more generally the Bill needs to be greatly strengthened @fiannafailparty @greenparty_ie @finegael

Details in🧵below 1/ A 2050 decarbonisation target is far too late for 🇮🇪 on the basis of equity.

According to UNEP’s 2016 emissions gap report, all scenarios remaining below +1.5°C require global emissions to peak before 2020. They haven’t peaked, so we need to act *faster* after 2020.

So, today we're heading to the Supreme Court to demand protection of citizens' Constitutional and human rights.

Our case is one of only a handful of climate cases in the WORLD to make it to the SC ⚖🏛

But what is the relevance of our case in our current political context?
🧵 Our case is significant regardless of what any (potential) new coalition govt plans to do. We're seeking to establish that climate policy must be consistent with 🇮🇪's legal obligations to protect human rights, incl. rights under the Constitution & EU Convention on Human Rights.

1/ Extreme civilisation, late-stage capitalism, whatever you want to call it: this thread👇🏼 is about THE. LEAST. SUSTAINABLE. THING. EVER! And it’s Irish...

peatbed.com

@creedcnw @OriginGreen @Bordbia @GeorgeMonbiot @IUCNpeat @KOSullivanIT @tessakhan 2/ Yes, it’s Irish peat used as bedding for methane-belching cows & other farm animals!

Why? It’s cheaper than straw because straw prices are👆🏼because, well, climate-induced drought...

@KOSullivanIT @ellamcsweeney @RTENewsPaulC @GeorgeMonbiot @paulbmelia @GeorgeLeeRTE

1/ Thread on climate & Irish agri lobbyists

As the Joint Committee on Climate begins its vital work, we need to talk about the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and the Farmers Journal.

Other than membership, where do you think the IFA gets its €€€ in the millions? 2/ From the “European Involvement Fund” levy. What’s that, an EU tax? No, despite the name. Irish farmers pay this ‘levy’ on an *opt-out* basis on the sale of livestock, milk & other produce @ €1.50 for every €1,000 sold. Goes mostly to the IFA but also to @icmsa & others.