By Business & Finance 
Providence Resources CEO Tony O’Reilly on People Before Profit’s proposed Bill
The Climate Emergency Measures Bill proposed by People Before Profit aims to stop the Irish government issuing new licences for offshore drilling for oil and gas – a move CEO of Providence Resources says is shortsighted, given that currently oil and gas provides 77% of Ireland’s energy needs and looks set to increase to 87% in 2026.
He says:
Effectively what this Bill is proposing to do is ban offshore oil and gas drilling. This makes absolutely no sense for Ireland to turn its back on its own hydrocarbon potential when we’re importing from all over the world.
He continues: “If Ireland doesn’t develop its own natural resources then we’re importing from overseas, so we’re importing from pipelines or LNG or oil tankers. So bringing oil and gas to this country will increase our carbon footprint. So it’s disingenuous to say this is something that is trying to reduce greenhouse emissions when actually if it is to be enacted it will actually ensure we will increase our greenhouse emissions.”
Watch to see the full interview and Tony O’Reilly’s solution here:
