She said: "Today's important report from the UN's expert panel on climate change provides more stark evidence of the potential devastating impact of global climate change if it is not tackled.
"Communities in Dublin and around the country have already experienced some of the ominous signs that climate change is happening in Ireland as extreme weather events over recent years have battered our coastline, flooded coastal cities and inundated thousands of acres of farmland.
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"Labour in government has driven the process of establishing landmark climate change legislation which sets out a clear path for tackling climate change, in line with our EU 2020 targets.
"The draft heads of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill were published in 2013.
"Under this legislation, Ireland will be one of the first Member States to adopt climate change legislation and to put a legal obligation on its Government to develop policies to plan for existing, and future, climate commitments.
"It also requires the Minister for the Environment to account each year on his/her compliance towards meeting these targets.
"Last year, the Dail Environment Committee, chaired by Labour TD Michael McCarthy, held widespread consultations on the draft bill and subsequently issued its recommendations. The Minister for the Environment must now ensure that the final draft is published and brought before Dail Eireann as a matter of urgency. It is now time to deliver on the legislation that other parties have merely talked about for years.
"Climate Change has to be tackled at local, national and European level. As Lord Mayor of Dublin in 2010, I initiated the process of Dublin signing up to the Covenant of Mayors, which commits signatory cities to implementing Sustainable Energy Action Plans."
(CD/JP)
