Now, the so-called Green Wave will crash against a rocky shore of resistance.
On Tuesday night, Prime Time held a debate on what action the Irish public is prepared to take when it comes to making Ireland more green. And truth be told, I have some sympathy for them.
It’s not easy to have an honest discussion about climate change. Talking for too long about the various realities of climate change can fill one with a sickening sense of existential dread. The past five years are the five hottest years on record. Species extinction, food insecurity, human activity constraints and limited adaptability are all expected to be in full flight by 2100. Plastic is being found on the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
Just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of all greenhouse gas emissions, meaning that we, as individuals, are almost powerless. If it seems hopeless, that’s because it might well be.
But the Irish public has been very clear. They want to talk about climate change. Not only that, but they want action.
In an exit poll following Friday’s various elections, RED C revealed that no less than 88% of their respondents agreed with the statement: “I feel the government needs to prioritise climate change more.” Parents have started letting their kids skip school so they can march on Leinster House in protest.
This sentiment was matched with a surge for the Green Party, who have finally overcome the tainted legacy of their support for the Fianna Fáil government that oversaw the financial crisis. Ciarán Cuffe topped the European polls in Dublin, and the Greens increased their share of local authority seats by over 400%, going from 12 to 49.
Even in Dáil Éireann, a climate emergency has been declared, though the Taoiseach was quickly on hand to dismiss this seemingly bold declaration as “symbolic.”
Varadkar and Michael Healy-Rae might not share very much, but the glacial pace at which they are “tackling” climate change is certainly some common ground.
To say that Michael Healy-Rae was debating Green Party TD Catherine Martin on Prime Time last night is misleading, because, in reality, the two TDs were having two very different debates.
Asked four times by Martin if he believed climate change was the greatest challenge facing humanity, the closest Healy-Rae came to accepting the reality was to say: “I, the same as everybody else, I am perfectly aware of what is happening with our climate.”
It certainly doesn’t inspire confidence. After all, it was Michael’s brother Danny who said: “God above is in charge of the weather and we here can’t do anything about it”.
Throughout the discussion, Healy-Rae made it clear that he cannot conceive of an Ireland where old people power their homes by anything but coal, and he is not prepared to consider one. He takes the same tack with the idea that farmers could do anything besides produce beef.
He was aided in his argument by Miriam O’Callaghan, who asked Martin: “Isn’t it going to cost the taxpayer a lot of money?” – a strange question to ask when faced with the cost of climate inaction. Maybe the issue should be framed in terms of what it will cost the taxpayer when their homes are flooded.
The irresponsibility shown by RTÉ in platforming one of few politicians in Dáil Éireann whose overt stance on the environment is stubbornly dismissive at best, is more than frustrating. It’s negligent. Surely it would have made infinitely more sense to have Martin debate an actual member of government, the gatekeepers and purse-holders of any possible climate action?
That they would pair Catherine Martin off against someone who neither holds the keys to the kingdom in terms of policy, nor has a coherent view on climate change, nor is representative of the public opinion on climate change, is pointless. It’s rabble-rousing. It’s typical RTÉ.
It’s supposed to be balanced, but there can be no balance when RTÉ continually pick people who insist on coming down like a tonne of bricks.
I am tired of saying it by now, but RTÉ is a public service broadcaster. Its primary mission is, supposedly, public service. RTÉ has the resources and the audience to make a significant difference in the battle for a more sustainable approach to surviving the next few centuries. Last night’s debate suggests that they are unlikely to do so.
RTÉ’s approach to the debate is deliberately adversarial, geared towards designing the fiery argument, rather than the sensible solution. Because where’s the fun in that?
Promoting obstinance on matters such as climate action will likely become a matter of course now that there is more public support for the movement. Just as with marriage equality, just as with Repeal, the more the Irish public demands action on the climate, the more we can expect media debates that do nothing but hold us back.
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