The climate camp will target the planned Shannon Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in Tarbert, Co. Kerry.
Gas continues to be touted as a ‘transition fuel’ but the peer-reviewed science is clear – gas causes as much harm to the climate as coal or oil. And due to methane leakages and the energy involved in processing and transport, fracked gas transported via LNG has a carbon equivalent footprint 44% higher than coal over the crucial 20 year period.[1] While the latest peer-reviewed scientific studies have found that one third of the total increased methane emissions from all sources globally over the decade up to 2019 was coming from US fracked gas (shale gas) the current crisis in Europe is expediting decisions on LNG infrastructure without considering climate-change impacts. ´
This project, and others like it, will lock us into fossil fuel dependency for decades and contribute to catastrophic climate breakdown, if allowed to go ahead.
The planned LNG terminal will be used to import gas into Ireland, primarily fracked gas from the USA (REF). As even the programme of the current government of the Republic of Ireland says: “As Ireland moves towards carbon neutrality, we do not believe that it make sense to develop LNG gas import terminals importing fracked gas. Accordingly, we shall withdraw the Shannon LNG terminal from the EU Projects of Common Interest list in 2021.” Unsurprisingly this position has changed since then, and the government (including the “Green” Party!) have constantly equivocated on how the site should be used. The decision on whether to grant planning permission for the development will be made in early September, so we want this camp to be a strong indication of the resistance that any such plans will face.
Read some testimonials from people affected by fracked gas here.