AS THE MEMBERS of the Dáil settle at home away from Dublin as summer recess begins, the that greenhouse gas emissions fell last year to their lowest level in 30 years will be welcomed by government politicians, particularly those in the Green Party. Proof positive, they will say, that green policies are showing results even at a time when both the economy and the population have expanded. Roderic O’Gorman, the new Green Party leader, will want to build on this positivity after a disappointing (but not disastrous) showing at the local and European elections.
Some in that party will feel that an opportunity to elect a leader from outside Dublin has been missed at a time when those opposed to the green agenda are happy to present any kind of change as ‘anti-rural’. On the other hand, the results of the recent parliamentary elections in France indicate that O’Gorman’s emphasis on social justice in tandem with environmental action has electoral appeal. Green Party members feel they are delivering on their promises and will point to the latest report from the Environmental Protection Agency to prove it.
But how much has been delivered for nature? Biodiversity, unlike greenhouse gas emissions, does not lend itself to easy metrics and annual reporting and there is no evidence to say that species and habitats are yet recovering at the scale needed. But change has happened. Perhaps most significant has been the reform of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) under .