Ireland’s parliament is considering a new media law that would push for the creation and dissemination of climate change propaganda.
A new media commission is set to be established in Ireland which would be mandated to push for the creation and broadcasting of climate change propaganda.
These powers are being considered as part of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill, which is currently making its way through Ireland’s legislature.
Under the current text of the proposed bill, the new Coimisiún na Meán — which translates to media commission — will be mandated to “promote and stimulate… programmes relating to climate change and environmental sustainability,”
The new body will also be mandated to “have regard” for Ireland’s climate minister, and the policies of his department.
As per the legislation: “In performing its functions the Commission shall have regard to policies of the Government and of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications in respect of climate change and environmental sustainability.”
Also mandated within the legislation is for the new commission to be able to create so-called “online safety codes” aimed at forcing “designated online services” to “take appropriate measures to minimise the availability of harmful online content and risks arising from the availability of and exposure to such content” as well as “that service providers take any other measures that are appropriate to protect users of their services from harmful online content”.
While these new proposals regarding media regulation have been raising eyebrows online, this is far from the first time the Irish legislature made strange rulings for the sake of the climate agenda.
Ireland’s ruling coalition government — which includes the climate-crazy Green Party — saw commercial peat harvesting effectively banned under their rule by court order in 2019 over a perceived contradiction between the practice and EU environmental laws.
Since then, controversy has brewed over the nation — which has a long tradition of turf cutting — importing thousands of tonnes of peat moss from the likes of Latvia for agricultural and growing use.
In a preliminary report into the issue, the ruling government was told that peat imports into Ireland did not make “environmental, economic or ethical sense”.
“A continued supply of Irish Peat to the professional horticulture sector in Ireland is essential at least in the short term and preferably from Irish bogs in order to allow adequate time to research alternative growing media,” the report noted.
“In the short term while some sectors of the horticultural industry can add suitable diluents to peat e.g. woodfibre in the nursery stock, other sectors have no choice but to use 100% peat e.g. plant propagation or mushroom casing,” it continued.
However, despite the warnings, Ireland’s government has been accused of “ignoring” the report’s recommendations, with a number of companies now facing closure over the state’s inaction.