FRIENDS OF the Earth has criticised the decision by Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan to participate in a private seminar on climate change policy tomorrow organised by business lobby Ibec, describing it as “the Galway tent of climate politics”.
The seminar is being held as the Minister finalises a review of Ireland’s climate policy for consideration by a Cabinet committee on October 19th and in the wake of his abolition last week of Comhar, the Sustainable Development Council.
In a letter to business leaders, Ibec director general Danny McCoy described the event as “a timely opportunity for our members to influence the development of a climate policy framework” and he was “particularly pleased the Minister for the Environment will be joining us”.
Friends of the Earth director Oisín Coghlan said: “This just smacks of vested interests making policy with Ministers behind closed doors.”
Ibec vigorously opposed proposals for climate legislation during the last Dáil. However, despite being an advocate of an all-party Bill drafted by a former Oireachtas climate change committee, Mr Hogan had “gone silent” on the issue since taking up office, Mr Coghlan said.
“Now the Minister is cosying up to the business lobby just before he asks the Cabinet to make key decisions on climate policy. It’s simply inappropriate for the Minister and officials from three departments to meet privately with big business in the final days of a policy review that has no element of public consultation.”
The Department of the Environment described the seminar as a “routine event” and said the Minister had already met non-governmental organisations, including the Irish Environmental Network, last May as well as corporate leaders in recent days.
An Ibec spokeswoman said today’s event “is being attended by a range of stakeholders with an interest in this area, including Ibec members, academia, State agencies and Government departments” and was “designed to encourage joined-up thinking” on climate policy.
