Election 2024

Greens ‘don’t know whether to laugh or cry’ at Fianna Fáil’s climate pledges

Fianna Fáil manifesto promising series of environmental policies draws sceptical response from Coalition partners

Fianna Fáil is promising to build more onshore and offshore wind farms, including a west coast floating offshore wind test site by 2026. File photograph: Getty
Fianna Fáil is promising to build more onshore and offshore wind farms, including a west coast floating offshore wind test site by 2026. File photograph: Getty
Jack Horgan-Jones
Sat Nov 09 2024 - 12:59

Fianna Fáil will make a big play for the green vote in the general election, promising a new Minister of State for energy and a significant expansion of the electric vehicle (EV) network.

While the party’s backbenchers have often clashed with the Green Party during the Coalition’s lifespan, the Fianna Fáil manifesto will make a range of climate-related promises such as increased investment in policies the Greens have championed in government like the Local Link bus and additional capacity in rail, light rail and bus networks.

It will support European Commission proposals for 90 per cent reductions in EU emissions by 2040 and adopt 2035 and 2040 national carbon budgets in line with that goal.

It will also promise to build more onshore and offshore wind farms, including a west coast floating offshore wind test site by 2026. It is targeting 9GW of onshore wind, 8GW of solar and 5GW of offshore wind in the lifetime of the next government.

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Combined, this is significantly more than the already installed capacity in these technologies in Ireland. It will also commit the party to holding two auctions for new renewable energy developments every year, fund solar panels on every school, and publish new wind energy development guidelines alongside investing in the national grid.

It will promise funding to purchase land for new national parks under the plan.

Responding to news of the pledges, the Green Party said it “doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry” at Fianna Fáil’s commitments.

In a statement, Green Party Minister of State Ossian Smyth said that while it was always positive to see a party taking an interest in climate action, “it was astonishing to hear such new-found enthusiasm from a party which had to be dragged kicking and screaming on so many environmental issues”.

The Green Party TD said: “The last government nearly collapsed because Fianna Fáil wouldn’t agree to the €3.15 billion Climate and Nature Fund even though it will help businesses and State bodies cut emissions while also cutting their energy bills. Last week, with Fine Gael, they blocked a plan coming to Cabinet that would allow businesses start preparing for how the money could be spent from 2026.”

Despite the party’s sudden interest in wind energy, Fianna Fáil delayed approval for the North-South Interconnector by insisting on repeated reviews of the project, Mr Smyth added.

“Every other party loves to talk about climate action and stick a few wind turbines on their manifestos but when push comes to shove, the environment and public transport will not be given priority in the next government if the Greens aren’t in there. The others will always find reasons not to act,” he said.

On the issue of rewetting lands and water quality, which has proved a sensitive topic in rural Ireland, Fianna Fáil said it would commit to implementing the EU’s Nature Restoration Law to meet rewetting targets on State-owned lands by the 2040s, while also facilitating voluntary restoration for farmers.

It will also promise schemes and supports for farmers as part of efforts to meet water quality targets.

Its manifesto will commit to investment in the roll-out of charging stations and the launch of an EV charger app showing locations and availability.

[ Election 2024: Will parties stand firm on the climate law? ]

In justice and policing, the party will promise a graduate entry programme for An Garda Síochána as part of its manifesto.

The idea, which was developed by Minister of State at the Department of Justice James Browne, is modelled on similar schemes in other jurisdictions which seek to encourage a wider pool of people with different backgrounds to enter into policing.

The party’s manifesto will outline that those on the graduate entry scheme will possibly be paid a higher rate than the usual training allowance, although it is unlikely to specify exactly what that rate will be.

Similar schemes exist in the medical profession, where those with degrees can take an accelerated path to becoming a doctor. Similarly, in the Garda scheme envisaged by Fianna Fáil, those with degrees would be put on an accelerated programme.

Jack Horgan-Jones

Jack Horgan-Jones

Jack Horgan-Jones is a Political Correspondent with The Irish Times