The Campaign

Welcome to the website for the Green Energy Campaign. This campaign is a grassroots, independent group of students and others aiming to put pressure on the Irish government and politicians. We are demanding that Ireland invest in renewable energy and other green policies to create new green energy jobs, protect the environment and reduce climate change. We aim to get students from all over the country involved in this effort. This campaign was begun by students, with support from the Union of Students in Ireland, USI. But it is not restricted to students – all are welcome to get involved.

We are starting the campaign with a nation-wide petition calling for a "Green New Deal" - major investment in green energy infrastructure and conservation in order to turn Ireland into an alternative energy economy. The project needs to be started by the Irish Government, but there are many ways of paying for it, which are detailed in the Comhar report, entitled "Towards a Green New Deal for Ireland". Details for this plan can be found here: (please note that the above report was produced by Comhar, the sustainable development council, who this campaign is not linked to).

Ireland at a crossroads
The world faces several interlinked crises now and in the years ahead. Each of them alone poses a serious challenge to modern society, but combined they threaten to shake our civilisation to its very core. Ireland is both very vulnerable to the coming crises, and also extremely well-placed to take advantages of the new opportunities, and to lead the way in creating solutions.

Climate change
Most people are aware of the basics of climate change - human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels for energy and transport, are releasing huge volumes of "greenhouse gases" into the atmosphere, which trap heat. As a result, the Earth is heating up at an alarming rate. Scientists tell us that we have a short time to reduce our emissions dramatically by shifting over to a low-carbon economy, before we cross a "tipping point" that triggers "runaway climate change". If this happens, the climate system could become out of control, causing devastating ecological damage and creating a much hotter Earth by the end of this century.

Peak Oil
Meanwhile, many experts believe that the world will soon reach "Peak Oil", which is the maximum level of world oil production, before a sharp decline which will make oil more scarce every year and send oil prices -and therefore the price of lots of other things- skyrocketing. Other fossil fuels are likely to peak soon after. Fossil fuels are essential to modern society - for transport, for electricity, for food production, for industry and for the global economy to function. A drop in fossil fuel supply could cripple the world economy unless we reduce our dependence on it. Ireland is extremely vulnerable to this, because we get a shocking 95% of our energy needs from imported fossil fuels. If the taps get turned off, we could be in trouble unless we put alternatives in place, fast.

You might think "hey, if oil becomes scarce won't that help climate change because we'll burn less oil?" The answer is no, because declining "regular" oil will lead to temptation to move towards dirtier, "unconventional" oil sources which are much more expensive, give us less energy, but also are far more damaging to the climate and the environment.

Earth under threat
As well as climate change and peak oil, we face a growing environmental and natural resource crises. We are consuming more and more of the world's natural resources, which is causing great strain on many ecosystems that are vital to human survival. Our destruction of habitats, pollution, and over-consumption is causing so many extinctions that many biologists now believe the world is undergoing a "great extinction" similar to the one that killed off the dinosaurs. We must reduce our ecological footprint if we are to avoid catastrophe.

The Solutions
The good news is, there are solutions. And these solutions not only save the planet, but they also create jobs for people who are out of work, thus helping us get out of this economic crisis. Shifting over to a low-carbon, environmentally sustainable economy will take huge investment - just the kind of investment that will create tens of thousands of jobs. Ireland has the best renewable energy resources in Europe, so if we can develop Ireland as a green energy economy we will create a smart, strong economy for the 21st century.

We need to build a sustainable transport infrastructure, creating energy efficiency and conservation, preserve our natural ecosystems and invest in a new alternative energy infrastructure. As well as the jobs this will create, it will also secure Ireland against the coming energy and resource shortages, and also lead the way in reducing Co2 emissions to tackle global warming, while also strengthening our country's infrastructure and natural ecosystems so we can adapt to whatever climate changes that do occur.

Government needs to lead the way in this effort, but as outlined in the Comhar Green New Deal report, the bulk of the funding does not have to come from Government but can come from a myriad of other sources, including private investment organisation looking for a good, solid long-term investment, bonds sold to the Irish people, EU Green funds and more. A better place to live in Not only would a greener, low-carbon society be more environmentally friendly, but it would be a better place to live in too. Nobody likes spending hours every day stuck in traffic - a green economy would be built around local towns and communities. It would therefore require the development of local infrastructure and amenities that would encourage the development of thriving communities – better places to live and to raise families.

A world-wide movement for change
This campaign is part of a world-wide movement campaigning for a new, environmentally sustainable future. So far, governments have been slow to put in place the solutions, so people power is needed to put them under pressure. People in America, Europe, China, Africa and all over the planet have been organising campaigns, and now a truly global movement has emerged with ordinary citizens of over 100 countries gathering in Copenhagen to protest against government inaction during the Climate Change conference in December.

Young people must lead the way in demanding a greener future for our planet, and in creating a secure Ireland based on careful use of natural resources, and a respect for the natural environment that we depend upon.

This mass petition drive is the first step in the campaign. From there we will build a nation-wide network of campaigners to build a mass movement for the environment, for green jobs, and for climate justice. We will reach out to students in colleges all across the country, and then expand beyond colleges to create a mass movement for change. But to do so, we need your help.