Political divisiveness will hamper climate change efforts, minister says

Ireland’s transport minister has said the only way to achieve climate targets is by ensuring they are not politically divisive between rural and urban and rich and poor.

Green minister Eamon Ryan said the scale of change needed to meet targets will involve changes within every industry and sector.

It comes as the European Union aims to slash its net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040, to ensure that the EU is climate neutral.

The 90% reduction will entail huge changes involving the ramping up of the use of renewables and change across all sectors in food, transport and infrastructure.

Mr Ryan said the 90% reduction is an “incredible change”.

“That 90% figure is not coming from political system, that’s the science,” he said on Wednesday.

“(The science) says if you don’t reach those sort of levels of reduction, we will risk going over a tipping point and everything collapses with that.

“So it’s not like there’s a choice, or the choice is let things go or actually protecting our planet and we will protect our planet.

“But the scale of change, like that’s not small, and so it’s everything.

“The only way it will work is if this is not divisive. If this is not politically divisive between rural and urban, rich, poor, young, old, it has to be everyone, every place matters, every sector.

“So it’s changing – the energy system, the transport system, the food system, the industrial system, all in 15 years.

“And, yes, farmers will have to play a part in that and I’m sure and confident they will. I think more than anything else, that we start aligning the incentives with the environment. So the farmers are paid properly for the important work they do. It’s doable.”

He said that in the last two years, the use of nitrogen fertiliser in farming in Ireland fell 27%.

“That’s phenomenal,” he added.

“In the last year, the numbers of people on public transport went up 25% – that was from a low Covid number in 2022 – but still a dramatic turnaround.

“In the last year, we haven’t got the final figures yet, but I think in power generation, it’s going to be a quarter reduction in emissions.

“This is not impossible. It’s with the grain of history and with the grain of technological revolution that’s taking place.

“If we’re not good at this, it’s not only that we will not meet our targets, not be part of the European response, but we would fall behind in terms of the better way of doing things.

“When you create a safe system that’s not gridlocked with a car dependent system, that works better for everyone.

“In farming, when you actually reduce your use of fertilisers you save money, as well as be able to trade on an orange and green brand.

“That 90% figure is daunting, when you’re policymakers it is daunting, but it’s not impossible. We can do this.”

He also said that the aviation sector, including airlines Ryanair and Aer Lingus, have committed to becoming net zero by 2050.

Mr Ryan said that aviation is “probably hardest” of all to make the required changes.

Mr Ryan would not be drawn on whether he supports a Paris-backed decision to triple parking costs for SUVs in a bid to tackle air pollution.

The Green minister said the National Demand Management Strategy, which aims to reduce traffic congestion, will go to public consultation in the coming weeks.

“It will set out a whole range of different options, but there’s nothing planned yet,” he added.

“But yes, that Demand Management Strategy will give us a lot of options and part of it is how we do parking and it is very much part of the equation.

“So I’m going to wait to see.”