Statement from Green Party Leader
Roderic O’Gorman

“Now is the time that all countries have to ramp up their efforts to reduce emissions so that the overshoot is as small and short as possible. We have the natural resources here in Ireland to allow us to lead on this and to put pressure on the international community to play their part. 

This country has been dominated by two political parties that make decisions based solely on short term political gain. They have to move away from making decisions that will impact our lives and the lives of our children and their children simply because they can’t think beyond the electoral cycle.

That means investing in wind, solar and battery storage and not importing fracked gas from superpowers. That means spending money to enable households and businesses to reduce their energy use. That means large scale recycling, keeping our waters clean, building sustainable public transport, investing in nature restoration. These are all things that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have not done.

While the headline from the UN is scary, the report itself is full of hope that we do not have to wave the white flag, there is so much more we can do.”