Keep the Dublin Airport Passenger Cap - Help protect children from harm

We know what needs to be done to protect children from the horrific harms of climate breakdown - urgent cuts wherever possible to the pollution causing the climate crisis. This must include aviation, which is using record levels of fossil fuel and holding back climate action, even as the odds for children's futures worsen.

Despite airlines polluting at higher levels and climate threats for children worsening, an aggressive campaign by vested interests has resulted in a Government commitment to disregard the harmful impacts and support lifting the Dublin Airport passenger cap. (The ‘cap’ currently allows for a colossal 32 MILLION passengers each year.) 

As it is, the massive pollution from international aviation is currently not being tackled in our national climate efforts. If the cap was lifted, it would mean not only would the aviation sector continue failing to contribute to the national climate efforts kids are counting on, they'd be INCREASING their harmful pollution even more.

Ireland is using more aviation fossil fuel than ever before - 1.36 billion litres in 2023 alone. Our children’s futures are being irreversibly harmed due to a failure to cut harmful global warming pollution - they face malnutrition, increased danger from more extreme weather events, and economic harm. Every fraction of a degree of global warming matters. Increasing flights via a lifting of the cap, means massive increases in fossil fuel use and pollution. Keeping the cap means responsibly protecting against even greater levels of fossil fuel pollution.

Unprecedented and apparently unlawful levels of flight traffic at Dublin Airport are already reported to be causing harm. Schools and communities under flight paths have reported negative impacts on the education, sleep, well-being and home lives of children due to intolerable levels of noise pollution. All children have a fundamental right to rest, play and learn. Keeping the cap means putting communities, families and children before harmful industry expansion and pollution.

Flying is the most climate-harming form of travel there is, and in Ireland we’re already flying  almost double the amount of our European neighbours. Most of this is for leisure, and very likely more money is being taken out of the country via outgoing tourism than coming in. Nor are any apparent efforts being made to limit reckless private jet use or frequent flyer incentives. We know that the more the climate crisis escalates the more harm will be done - and our kids will pay the price. We’ve seen in recent weeks, with Storm Eowyn, the horrifying damage extreme weather events cause. We urgently need every sector to do its part to help protect kids from the harms ahead. Keeping the cap means a step towards Irish aviation responsibly contributing to the essential climate action all children are counting on.