Roderic O’Gorman, leader of the Green Party, has accused the Irish government of abandoning its commitments to meet emissions reduction targets, a claim he made during a speech at the party’s conference in Kilkenny. O’Gorman said the government has backtracked on climate and nature policies since the Greens left the coalition government in 2024.

Loss of Political Influence and Electoral Strategy

O’Gorman, who was the only remaining Green Party TD after the general election, said the party was targeting two upcoming by-elections in Galway West and Dublin Central. He cited the recent by-election win for Hannah Spencer in Gorton and Denton as evidence that the ‘Green tide is rising again.’

The Green Party had been part of a coalition government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael from 2020 to 2024, but lost 11 of its 12 seats in the last general election. O’Gorman emphasized that the party had improved its internal workings and was now better positioned to challenge the current government in the by-elections.

‘I think these by-elections, the biggest impact that they could have is to elect a green TD,’ O’Gorman said during an interview with RTÉ’s This Week programme. ‘Because that would completely change the political conversation here, about nature, about climate, two areas we know, and I think everybody recognises that since the Greens have left government, that this government have backpedalled on consistently over the last 12 months.’

Internal Reflections and Criticisms

O’Gorman reflected on his time in the coalition government, where he served as children’s minister. He expressed regret over not pushing harder on reducing childcare costs and addressing the migrant and accommodation crises in his department.

‘I wish I pushed earlier in terms of reducing childcare costs,’ he said. ‘And I wish in terms of the migrant crisis and the accommodation crisis that I had to deal with in my department, I wish I’d been tougher with some of the other government departments, particularly the Department of Housing.’

O’Gorman criticized Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris for their lack of leadership on climate issues. He said they were not prepared to face the potential financial consequences of not meeting emissions targets.

‘They’re not prepared to face the realities of very significant fines coming to Ireland if we don’t meet our targets,’ O’Gorman said. ‘And they’re using that to distract from the fact that on important policies like investment in public transport, like decarbonising our electricity system, they are not pushing forward.’

Abandonment of 2030 Emissions Goals

O’Gorman accused the government of having ‘given up’ on meeting the 2030 emissions reduction targets. He said it was unacceptable for a minister to abandon a target four years before it was due, a practice he claimed was not acceptable in other areas such as housing, health, and waiting times.

‘I don’t know any other government target that it is satisfactory for a minister to give up four years before that target is due,’ O’Gorman said. ‘It wouldn’t be acceptable in housing, it wouldn’t be acceptable in terms of health, in terms of waiting times, and yet this Government has given up four years early, and that’s to let themselves off the hook.’

O’Gorman said the Green Party had previously played a crucial role in bringing climate and nature issues to the forefront of political decision-making. He noted that the new government had seen ‘retreat after retreat’ in these areas.

‘We saw the difference the Green Party made in the last government,’ O’Gorman said. ‘We brought these areas to the very centre of political decision-making in this country, and we’ve seen retreat after retreat from the new government.’