Rory Hearne: Climate Action Plan could worsen housing inequalities

The inadequacy of state imagination, courage, and investment in retrofitting homes and providing affordable green new homes through tackling vacancy and dereliction makes the Taoiseach’s speeches at COP26 ring very hollow

Sarah Kate Fitzpatrick and Catherine O'Rourke, from Dublin and Liverpool, taking part in a Climate Action march in Dublin, to coincide with the COP26 Conference. Photograph: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie

"Nobody is going to force you to go out and insulate your home particularly when you can’t afford to do so", explained Tanaiste Leo Varadkar at the Climate Action Plan launch. 

Does that mean if I can't afford the €50,000 to retrofit my home (i.e. most households) then I face a future of cold winters at home with rising energy bills? Will we see a hugely unequal transition between those who can afford to retrofit and those who cannot? Is the Climate Action Plan a transition restricted to the wealthy? How can Irish households afford to fork out for retrofits with one of the highest costs of living in the EU, including rents, mortgages, childcare etc? Individualising the cost of climate action will inevitably exacerbate inequalities. This risks a public backlash against necessary climate measures.