The party’s relationship with rural Ireland needs careful nurturing by building understanding of its substantive plans to support farmers in looking after nature and reforming land use while offering prospects of a better return for family farms. Collective agreement has to be in the mix.
The climate movement, including young climate strikers, has helped raise public awareness but the Greens have to re-examine their approach to address the big disconnect with voters. Climate disruption somehow remains an issue for tomorrow for many people.“On a recent radio programme a commentator said we can’t deal with climate change until we have a roof over our heads. Ireland is in a housing crisis that is dominating the current general election campaign. Climate has hardly been mentioned.
Climate adaptation is being seen as a cost and a burden rather than an opportunity. “We have become used to an economics that values quick financial returns, blind to the true social, economic and environmental costs,” she said.A separate problem that will quickly surface in talks on forming a new government is contradictions and vagueness on climate in the manifestos.
The Greens in any scenario will demand a robust climate governance framework; legally-binding targets, carbon budgets that once agreed cannot be dropped by incoming governments, a major retrofitting programme with novel financial incentives and the drawing up of a national land use plan.
If your dog did not bark then I am afraid you have been sold a pup. In an election that seems to have been influenced in some way by the old irish border issue you must realise the climate crisis is without borders.
Hah! 'single biggest threat Ireland is facing this century' Seriously, ? Do better!