The problem with Irish climate policy starts and ends with Labour and Fine Gael

22nd February 2013

The problem with Irish climate policy starts and ends with Labour and Fine Gael

Both parties are shadow boxing around the issue but their actions have spoken louder than words.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said today.  "We can see all sorts of shadow boxing between the two Government Parties before the climate bill is published next Tuesday but their record in office already shows that the problem starts and ends within both Labour and Fine Gael.   

The two parties went into Government inheriting policies that were really starting to work:  

• Under the Greens renewable power doubled, but investment is now stalled.
• In early 2011 6,000 people were working in a rapidly expanding retrofit industry. Two years later half those jobs are gone.
• The new Coalition was handed a ready to go system for site value taxation but went for an unfair property tax giving no incentive for the efficient use of our precious land resource.  
• The Greens switched the transport budget towards public transport, but that has now gone back the other way.

"The climate bill needs two key ingredients, a clear legal target for emission reductions by 2030 and the placement of new economic thinking right in the heart of the administrative system.  Neither is going to happen.  Fine Gael and Labour don't get the opportunity that exists from switching to a clean economy and the climate issue is not within their political time scale."  

"Their will be all sorts of claims about their interest in the issue over the next week but in truth their actions have already spoken more than their words.   We need the Greens back in Irish politics to represent a better, different way."

ENDS