Tackling the Climate Crisis: An Taisce member Celestine O'Reilly shares views on how we could be incentivised to make sustainable choices by sharing resources more rationally and fairly. 

---

Fair Shares

When I hear that we in Europe need to reduce our consumption by 60% in order to live sustainably; when I see that consumption is continuing to go up not down, then I’m convinced that the sure way to start pulling ourselves out of this mess and doing it fairly is by sharing resources in a rational way.

At the moment we are being incentivised with partial grants to make sustainable choices. These grants are mainly availed of by the better off. This is neither fast nor fair, and we know individual actions are pointless – so they merely amount to virtue signalling.  Meanwhile more data centres are being built, cancelling out the saving in fuel made by availing of the government grants.  In addition, the price of fossil fuels has been subsidised to help us with the “energy crisis”. All around us, we see each other living unsustainably even as catastrophe draws closer.

Meanwhile those with the most disposable income continue to pollute the most.  The danger inherent in this situation is that as the climate disruption increases, with the occurrence of energy shortages - as it is unlikely that the availability of green energy will be sufficient to meet our ever-growing needs as we transition away from fossil fuels - the wealthiest will secure what energy is available.  

There needs to be a robust mechanism which embeds justice and fairness in our institutions.  For this I propose rationing (please read on!). This word can provoke the ire of liberal-minded consumers; better to call it “Fair Shares”.

It could start with flying, the most difficult form of transport to decarbonise. Rationing (fair-sharing) flights also has the potential to increase employment, as explained below.

It is said that aviation is good for the economy. Yet in 2023, according to the CSO, the total estimated expenditure of visitors to Ireland was €7.3 billion [1]; while in the same year, total expenditure on outbound overnight trips taken by Irish residents in 2023 amounted to €12.9 billion [2]. That's a deficit of €5.6 billion. Gone are the days when we were a poor country trying to attract wealthy tourists.  Now we're the wealthy tourists. Besides, Ireland has spent large sums on rolling out broadband which has reduced the need for business flights.  

A full and objective analysis of the current value or otherwise of aviation to the country is needed.  The recent fires in Los Angeles and our own Storm Éowyn serve to underline that we must do everything in our power to reduce the burning of fossil fuels. Mr Justice Humphries of the High Court recently said, "an immediate end to business as usual is a precondition for planetary survival" [3]. 

It happened that the climate crisis was politicised instead of being treated as a crisis, inhibiting the government from make hard choices.  And failure to act when the climate emergency was declared has lulled us into a kind of collective narcissism that lets us tolerate "business as usual". Industry lobbyists can skew the reality and influence media and the public into believing that flying is a laudable activity; but an objective analysis of aviation would challenge that narrative. 

Action to immediately curb fossil fuel use could turn things around. Cutting flights would bring an immediate reduction in fossil fuel use. Fair Shares would signal immediately that the situation is urgent, as well as bring real, tangible results. Flying is the most visible high fossil fuel burning activity most Irish people do: and every plane in the sky reinforces our denial. Most of our flights are leisure flights; a lifestyle choice, not a vital need. 

There are alternatives for leisure. Great work has been done by Fáilte Ireland to increase and improve indigenous tourist offerings, these could be further developed and marketed internally. There is great demand for fun, novelty and adventure.  Why not provide more of it here?

I am not a lone voice in the wilderness. The famous French economist Thomas Piketty in his 2023 book, Nature, Culture and Inequality, says “it is hard to see how to meet these challenges (the challenges of reducing carbon emissions, especially among the wealthy) … than by asking those whose carbon emissions are proportionally higher.  

Fair shares for flying would ensure everyone was aware that climate change is to be taken seriously. It would restore confidence that the crisis is being addressed. Knowing it was fair, that everyone was doing their share, would make such rationing acceptable and promote a sense of solidarity and hope; a feeling that together we can do this.

A period of trial and error would be needed: in a crisis it is necessary to take risks. Fair sharing could then be extended to fossil fuel use generally. What a difference that could make for the future. It would ensure that in the event of disruptions in essential supplies, we already have a robust system in place to provide justly for people and communities.  

They say that getting away from dirty energy and extractivism is necessary for a liveable future, as is reforming the financial system; and a fairer taxation system is needed to curb the power of wealthy individuals and companies and restore democracy.  But right now, time is running out — we need urgent action.

Rationing was successful in the past when it was seen to be done in a fair way.  It was used extensively during the two world wars, so there is plenty of research available to help get it right. [4] It would be important to avoid creating a market for fair shares as this would spoil the opportunity to cut greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible. Instead, unused shares could be bought back by the government (perhaps from the savings made by not overshooting our agreed climate targets; or simply by taxing our 11 billionaires, whose wealth in 2024, according to Oxfam, increased by €35.6 million a day).

At one time the government wanted Ireland to be a leader in tackling climate change, but we can still be – and other countries might follow our lead just as they did with plastic bags, smoking and gay marriage. 

It takes a small country like ours to take the first brave step. 

Mrs Celestine O'Reilly 

February 2025

---

References:

[1] https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-ibta/inboundtourismannual2023/

[2 ]https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-hts/householdtravelsurveyquarter4andyear2023/

[3] https://thecurrency.news/articles/175381/an-immediate-end-to-business-as-usual-is-a-precondition-for-planetary-survival-wind-farm-wins-far-reaching-planning-case/

[4] https://www.resilience.org/stories/2023-02-17/any-way-you-slice-it/