Leader of the Green Party, Minister for the Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan has said his party is willing to “work with every party” to form a government.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Late Late Show, Mr Ryan said his party would form another government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael as “we work well”.
He said that; “the need for action on climate and protecting nature is so great that we cannot wait.
Mr Ryan said “this is a time to act”, adding “this has to belong to everyone. This won’t work if its divisive politics like it is in the states.”
On the possibility of being in government with other political parties, he said; “yes, we would work with Sinn Féin. Yes, we would work with Labour and the Soc Dems.”
Farmers’ ‘expertise’ needed to address environmental crisis
In relation to recent protests by farmers in Cork, Mr Ryan said: “They’re going to be the frontline heroes” in addressing climate change “because they have the expertise in how you manage land”.
Mr Ryan said: “We need a new generation of young people to go into farming and forestry and make sure that they get an income by protecting nature as well as providing food.”
He said there was a “problem” with the lack of young people involved in farming.
“We need a whole new generation of people to go into farming and they won’t go in unless you’re certain you’ll get a good livelihood,” he said.
“I think that livelihood will come when they go green rather than going in an intensive way which isn’t green,” he added.
Minister Ryan said “farming will be part of that future in a green way. I am sure”.
He said “one of the ways we give farming income is you diversify”, adding that farmers “will make money from energy, they will make money from putting solar panels in the farm and from having some forestry, not stopping farming but agri-forestry”.
“A mix of the two,” he said.
“They can make money in anaerobic-digestion where we can create our own gas, bio-gas rather than importing it,” he added.
Minister Ryan said that “the knowledge the farmers have of their land” is the “expertise we need to help address the environmental crisis”.
Mr Ryan said that climate is one of “the few areas in the world today” where countries show unity.
“One of the few signs of multinational co-operation still is in climate where we are still a united nations not divided nations,” he said.
Health and housing
In relation to the Government’s record on housing and health, Mr Ryan described the coalition as a “very good functioning government”.
“We managed Covid in a way, that I think, international reports are saying is actually one of the best.
“We also managed the cost of living crisis, which wasn’t easy because of the war in Ukraine, in a way that really did protect the Irish people.”
He said “real change” was happening regarding the construction of houses, adding “I stand up for the Government”.
Minister Ryan said that “you can never be satisfied, you can never do enough in Government, but this is the time to be on the pitch, not to be a hurler on the ditch.”
“This is a time to, yes go into Government and do everything you can to address the real big challenge of our time which is the ecological crisis, but also to deliver housing and health for our people and we’re doing it,” he said.
