Calls for a fossil fuel exploration and extraction ban have intensified this week in a bid to protect Northern Ireland from a ‘fuel poverty lock-in’.
It comes just a month after the Department for Economy published its Energy Strategy which hails the continued use of gas and introduced the concept of ‘dirty’ blue hydrogen.
Environment and anti-fracking activists fear the Executive approved plan will tie NI into decades more oil and gas bills despite repeated calls from UN leaders to leave fossil fuels in the ground.
They argue that government should focus on finding cheaper and more sustainable ways for families to heat their homes than the increasingly crippling costs of fossil fuels.
But they’re also concerned any new petroleum licences could mark the dawn of fracking, gas extraction and gas-derived blue hydrogen following DfE suggestions locally produced fuel could be cheaper.
“These are yesterday’s fuels and no matter what happens in Northern Ireland we are never going to reduce the escalating price of gas here - it’s too small a country,” says Friends of the Earth director James Orr.
“The alternative is to mass insulate people’s homes starting with disadvantaged families; to increase energy efficiency and to look at other forms of heating that aren’t reliant on fossil fuels.
“These are social justice issues, mental health issues and there’s palpable fear out there that we are only going to see escalating prices.”
Economy Minister Gordon Lyons told Sinn Fein’s Philip McGuigan during this week’s Assembly question time his new paper on petroleum [oil and gas] licensing will go before the Executive soon.
But the Green Party, environmental groups and fracking campaigners around the world are calling for their total prohibition.
North Down MLA Rachel Woods said: “I have tabled an amendment to Edwin Poots’ Climate Change Bill to ban the exploration and extraction of fossil fuels in Northern Ireland.
“Fracking is a dangerous and environmentally harmful practice, which should have no place in Northern Ireland as we make a just transition to a net-zero future.
“We are in a climate emergency. We must reduce our emissions and not allow for more fossil fuel extraction. It’s time to invest in renewables and consign outdated and destructive fossil fuels to the past.”
The amendment to Minister Poots Climate Bill will be debated when it goes before MLAs on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, campaigners across the island of Ireland and around the world are pushing Sinn Fein to veto any Executive papers allowing fossil fuel exploration or production.
The party has already said it opposes fracking.
This week its Economy spokesperson, Caoimhe Archibald, described further gas price hikes as “another huge blow” to hard pressed families.
“There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight,” she added.
Whatever the solution, environmental campaigners are adamant it is not a local fossil fuel industry.
In a bid to drive home the message, peaceful protests have been held at Sinn Fein offices in Dublin, Limerick, Clare and Belfast before XR’s Red Rebels took their fight to Stormont.
An XRNI spokesperson said: “The production of Blue Hydrogen emits 20% more greenhouse gas emissions than burning the gas straight.
“This push for Blue Hydrogen makes no sense and bakes in reliance of fossil fuels. To avoid total climate breakdown we need a rapid transition away from fossil fuels.”
A letter signed by 37 organisations from the NI and RoI, Scotland, USA, the UK and throughout Europe was also sent to politicians across the island of Ireland urging them to prevent oil and gas extraction here.
“This is an all-island emergency,” it read.
“Firmus Energy has stated in their 2020- 2021 stakeholder report that Northern Ireland could be ‘the world leader in hydrogen technology’.
“Their chairman [Dr David Dobbin] wrote ‘UK Government is exploring plans to virtually reverse flow renewable gas to Great Britain customers’.”
They believe the new “Energy Strategy will lead to locking NI into fuel poverty if they decide to pump the blue hydrogen into the gas networks”.
Decade-long anti-fracking activist and Avengers star Mark Ruffalo says he’s “proud” to rally behind the cause.
He lent his support to local campaigners in a trending #BurstBlueHydrogenBubble Twitter storm on Wednesday night.
The Hollywood star said: “Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill can and must use her veto power to block the DUP’s policy on petroleum licencing from moving forward in the Executive.
“As many doctors have said, there must be a full public health assessment. Fracking pollutes the air, contaminates the water, and makes people sick.”
Julia Walsh from Frack Action added: “We need to stop it right now. Once these petroleum licenses move forward that will open the door to the permanent process.”
An Department for Economy spokesperson said: “The Minister will bring a paper to the Executive soon.
“There will be a public consultation on the Executive’s preferred option and the Hatch report will be released at this stage.”
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