Irish Examiner view: Reliance on fossil fuels leaves us vulnerable

Home heating oil being delivered. Today, we have alternatives to oil. Technological advances, driven by an awareness of the environmental damage caused by burning fossil fuels and the desire to reduce our dependence on imports, mean that Ireland should no longer be as vulnerable to this kind of international crisis. File picture

In 1973, Ireland and other developed countries were plunged into crisis by an oil price shock that saw the price of oil triple between September and December of that year.

The cause bears some similarities to the reasons for the current rise in oil prices.

In 1973, oil supplies were cut off when oil-producing Arab states implemented an oil embargo on any country — most notably the US — which had supported Israel in the war that followed Egypt and Syria’s attack on Israel.

Today, oil exports from the region are being affected by the US and Israel’s war on Iran. The consequent threat is to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and cuts in production by countries such as Kuwait and the UAE.

Some 50 years ago, the only response available to most countries to the shortage of oil and soaring prices was to reduce consumption. Homes, which in Ireland had only recently begun to be fitted with oil-fired central heating, went cold; car journeys became something of a luxury; and higher energy costs for industry and agriculture quickly fed into soaring inflation.

Back then, we were almost completely dependent on oil and gas imports for our energy. Nuclear power, the only technically viable alternative, was quickly ruled out as an option for Ireland by overwhelming public opposition.

Today, we have alternatives to oil. Technological advances, driven by an awareness of the environmental damage caused by burning fossil fuels and the desire to reduce our dependence on imports, mean that Ireland should no longer be as vulnerable to this kind of international crisis.

Indeed, renewable energy is becoming an increasingly important source of our energy.

In February 2025, Eirgrid was able to report that renewables powered more than half the electricity generated that month, with 48.3% coming from wind, 1.3% from solar, and a further 4.8% from other renewables. This compares with just 2% of our electricity coming from wind generation in 2005.

Despite these advances, we are still massively dependent on imported fossil fuels to power our services, homes, and businesses. About 48.8% of Ireland’s energy comes from imported petroleum either in the form of crude oil or refined products. Fossil fuels continue to account for more than 80% of our energy supply. The most recent National Energy Balance report, the definitive source of data on energy matters produced by the SEAI, put our energy import dependence at almost 80%. This is compared with the EU average of 58.3%.

The oil price turmoil of this past week, coming just four years after the increases sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, demonstrates the imperative of redoubling our investment and efforts in building our own capacity to generate energy from wind and other renewable sources. Our demand for energy is increasing all the time, and we cannot continue to leave ourselves as vulnerable as we are now to world events over which we have no control.

Standards must be maintained for school meals

The provision of hot meals to primary school children was introduced on a pilot basis in 2019, with just 30 schools benefiting in the first year. By last year, all 3,700 primary schools were eligible for the hot school meals scheme.

The fact that so many children can avail of a hot meal during the school day is most welcome.

Barnardos recently told an Oireachtas committee that, were it not for the school meals, some of the 35,000 children it supports would not be getting a hot meal. There are doubtless many more parents out there who, because of high energy and food costs, struggle to produce a hot dinner every day.

They can take comfort from knowing that, on school days at least, their children will get such a meal.

The cost of the scheme is now running at close to €300m a year which, considering the number of children who benefit, is hardly excessive. Yet, there is cause for concern about the quality of some of the food provided.

Louise Burne’s story yesterday referred to complaints from parents about out-of-date food, highly calorific meals, and allergen mislabelling. It also referred to the review by a dietitian, appointed by the Department of Social Protection, who found that one third of 400 meals tested did not meet at least three of five basic nutritional standards.

Dara Calleary said that, while the dietitian found general compliance with nutritional standards, random inspections in schools are to be carried out to identify other issues that may need to be addressed. The scheme is a good one, but it is important that proper standards be set and maintained.

Real connection

The adverse impact of social media on young people is currently a hot topic, and it will likely continue to be as governments consider following Australia’s lead in banning children’s access to social media. Much has been said and written about the rise in anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health issues, along with their possible link with many young people’s obsession with their phones.

Less attention seems to have been paid to the correlation — if there is one — between social media usage and loneliness.

While the Australian ban is at a very early stage, among those who have expressed concerns about it are those speaking for children with disabilities or from marginalised groups who depend on online communities for support and social interaction. Without their social media, the argument goes, they face increased isolation.

An experiment by RTÉ’s Prime Time to gauge how and whether a ban might work here had five young people, aged between 13 and 16, delete their social media apps for a week.

Predictably, one of the benefits was that the screen time of each teenager fell dramatically.

Less predictable was the fact that three out of the five cited losing the opportunity to connect with other people, including friends, as what they missed when cut off.

Loneliness and isolation are real and growing problems, the seriousness of which was recognised in a major report from the WHO last year.

One in five young people reported experiencing loneliness in a study by Spunout. The harms done by social media may well be found to outweigh the benefits, but perhaps before any ban is given serious consideration, we need to think seriously about how to help children and young people make those social connections in real life.

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