Climate Crisis

Climate action demonstrators in Dublin urge elimination of fossil fuels in Ireland

Protesters vent frustration at mounting crisis by throwing black liquid substance outside offices of JP Morgan

Climate Justice Coalition Ireland holds a protest in Dublin calling for Ireland to implement its climate promises in the programme for Government. Image: Enda O'Dowd

Sarah Burns
Sat Dec 9 2023 - 16:01

Climate action protesters have thrown a black liquid substance outside the offices of financial firm JP Morgan in Dublin city centre on Saturday.

The protest, organised by the Irish Climate Justice Coalition, is calling for Ireland to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and phase out all fossil fuels.

About 80 people gathered for the event, which travelled from Grand Canal Dock to the GPO on O’Connell Street.

Protesters chanted “the oceans are rising, so are we” and “whose planet, our planet” as they marched along the route this afternoon.

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People Before Profit TDs Bríd Smith and Paul Murphy and Independent TD Joan Collins were present, as were representatives from Unite, Oxfam Ireland, Extinction Rebellion as well as several other organisations.

Climate action protesters marched through Dublin calling on the Government to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and phase out all fossil fuels.

Manuel Salazar, an activist with Extinction Rebellion and Sea Shepherd, said the Government was not doing enough to tackle global warming and not going fast enough.

“There have been attempts by the Green Party, we recognise that but when you work together with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael it’s very difficult,” he said.

“Biodiversity in Ireland has been deteriorating … for the last 100 years and Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have been governing the country in that time, it’s their legacy. Now it’s up to the Green Party and the other parties in Government to recover and do something about it.”

Activist Ailbhe Smyth told the crowd outside the GPO: “We all know that we are in an absolute emergency situation, we are hurtling towards a human and planetary catastrophe by the end of this century unless we take urgent, immediate action. Millions around the world are already suffering from the impacts of extreme weather; the hottest year on record, apocalyptic floods, we have even seen the damage it is doing here on our own island.”

Activist Greta Thunberg, speaking at the Cop28 preparatory conference, has said that the political will to solve the climate crisis is "nowhere to be seen".

Extinction Rebellion member Thomas Morelli said the climate crisis will “hit everyone hard and especially marginalised people who are struggling already”.

He said while the crisis was already harming people, there were solutions such as wind turbines, solar panels, housing insulation and public transport.

“To give an example of a solution — the Luas tram line running up this street [O’Connell Street] opened this day six years ago and ever since then it’s been giving people an alternative to the private car,” he said. Unfortunately, these improvements aren’t coming in quickly enough so we need to continue to demand the Government introduces a sufficient amount of these solutions before it is too late.”

A similar rally, organised by Climate Coalition NI, took place in Belfast this afternoon. Climate campaigners will also take to Grafton Street in Dublin from 4-6pm on Saturday to raise awareness of the climate crisis and the ongoing COP28 global climate negotiations.

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Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns is a reporter for The Irish Times

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