The extra emissions from ending Dublin Airport’s passenger cap will likely mean Ireland’s children live shorter lives, an anti-aviation group has argued. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the Government has made a "very clear decision to remove the cap" and that legislation is being drafted accordingly. 

It means that the cap limiting Dublin Airport to 32 million passengers every year will be abolished and airlines will be granted permission to expand. 

While the cap will likely mean higher levels of economic growth and create additional jobs in the economy, critics worry about its impact on Ireland’s climate targets. 

Aviation is one of the most carbon intensive activities on the planet and accounts for an estimated 2.5% of emissions, despite the fact that 90% of the planet does not fly in an average year. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, Children's Rights Over Flights spokesperson Louise O’Leary argued that Ireland has an “obligation” to reduce climate emissions. 

 “This just feels wildly irresponsible, when the situation is so grave for our kids and our young people,” she said. 

“We need to be doing everything we can to protect them and this is directly oppositional to that.”

Ms O’Leary continued that Ireland has already hit “record levels of flight traffic” and raised her concern about how any increase to the Dublin Airport passenger cap will increase emissions. 

Scientists have concluded that higher carbon emissions will “significantly lower life expectancy”, although the impact is greatest on low income countries. 

“Irish kids are growing up to face malnutrition in their adulthood, food shortages,” Ms O’Leary said. 

“We're being told by experts they're likely to die younger than us, than their own parents, likely their life expectancy is going to be lower.

“These are the conversations we need to be talking about, not about, you know, this need to expand highly polluting industries endlessly.”

Children at Dublin Airport. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Instead of expanding aviation in order to boost economic growth, Ms O’Leary argued Irish people should be encouraged to stay at home for their holidays. 

“How much revenue is going to be lost by people leaving the country by the increased revenue of Irish people going abroad?” she said. 

“Why aren't we incentivising domestic tourism, like we did during COVID, to help Irish tourism and incentivise it?”

Main image: Children in Dublin Airport. Picture by: Alamy.com.