"Green" policies are destroying this country

You are indeed correct there are several large elephants visible, but they are to found all over the house - and not just in one room.

On agriculture. You're missing one crucial element with your argument there.

The single biggest source of greenhouse emissions in Ireland is the burning of fossil fuels whether that is in transport, fuel or power generation, manufacturing or domestic sources.

The reason our agricultural emissions are relatively high as a proportion of our total emissions at around 35-37% (with that including forestry) is that compared to other EU countries our industrial base is fairly small. So proportionly agriculture makes up a larger proportion of emissions here compared to other EU countries and not that we are the 'worst' at producing agricultural produce.

The issue is that a lot of our agricultural output goes for export, much of it to our European trading partners. The export of these goods help our balance of payments and economic prosperity. And even though Ireland is part of the EU, where a large proportion of those goods are sold and consumed, Ireland gets hit with the penalties for related emissions.

However it's not just Ireland. The EU is no daw when it comes to farming out it's agricultural emissions to other countries, having only recently signed a deal with countries in South America to import large quantities of agricultural produce - thereby once again 'farming' out the emission issues rather than taking responsibility for producing agricultural produce within the EU. It is an international disgrace that this is happening with the EU blessing

Neither is it something the EU should be sanctioning. Europe should be largely self sufficient in food stuffs and working towards technological and biological solutions to help reduce ghgs and not farming out this problem or in Ireland’s case penalising countries helping produce food for consumption within the EU.

Regarding 'sustainable development'. Unfortunately there are as many theories and definitions of the concept of "sustainable development" as there are days in the year. Not even the EU can agree a common framework for this concept.

Public transport is of course the national bugbear. Ever since much of our railway system was closed down in the 1960s, Ireland like the rest of the world has increasingly adopted private transport infrastructure as the way forward. It's going to take a long time to bring that particular juggernaut to a halt and reverse much of those policies.

That's a horticulture company that supplies the mushroom industry not someone cutting a few loads of turf to sell to neighbours.

Nah they are all the same to you.

The leader of the party you are forever excusing at least seems to know a fair bit more on the subject than you do.

Maybe it is because he spends a bit of time in the West.

This. As another poster here already detailed

the GP, for the few TD's they have, they are banging out new bills, SI's, legislation etc at an incredible rate.

Problem is looks like a lot of what they're trying to "banging out" much like the turfgate fiasco - the GP do not seem to be keeping their other coalition partners appraised of. How many other sneaky pieces of legislation are they trying to push through with similar under the table antics?

That the rule of democracy is being ignored as is Mr Ryans apparent stonewalling and refusal to communicate with company responsible for the development of the Barryroe Oil and Gas field. The attempts to interfer with An Bord Pleanála amongst other things and the GPS attempts to ban all LNG not just fracked LNG which was in their original gp program for government.

Just two words come to mind. Sneaky fcekers.

You'd swear the way some are going on that this legislation was "snuck in" without keeping other members of govt appraised

Thats exactly what seems to have happened

That a proposal was on books for years is neither here nor there considering the GPS recent sneaky shenanigans

^^^

So still making stuff up lol

If you check above no one made any claims "who came up with the idea" btw

What the green party did do in their most recent egg in the face occasion. (And this is well documented btw) they came out with a statement that the plan to ban the sale of turf would be starting in September.

And Varadkar came out and said no such plan had been agreed. From the link in my previous comment

Responding to Mr Ryan ... Mr Varadkar's spokesperson said:

Nope. Simply clarifying your take that the issue of the recent gp egg in face event was a 'mystery'. It's not.

So just to go over that again

The Green party trying to sneak stuff in - relates to Mr Ryans singular announcement that a ban on the sale of turf would be brought in this September. And it turns out that Varadkar et al knew nowt about that or as you put it "without keeping other members of govt appraised"

So simply another hillarious episode of the greens messing up yet again

Have to say of all of Ryans crazy ideas the idea of limiting turf cutting to communites of 500 is right up there with releasing the wolves in Kerry. You really have to question the intelligence of someone even proposing such a ridiculous lous idea. I really really really wany to hear how ryan is going to police this?

Worthwhile interview with someone who understands material, energy and scale.

Yep i mentioned that a good while back about evs and their popularity in affluent areas. The retrofit is the same shite. Its the green version of robin hood, tax the be jaysus out of the middle man to subsidise the rich guys new triple glazed windows.

You are especially damned if you are taxing those that cannot afford to retrofit or buy EVs, due in a large part to taxation, are subsidising those that could well afford to do so without the subsidies.

A cynic could even see it as you looking after your own, which never has a good look.

Someone like you disparaged double glazed windows as too expensive and posh for the ordinary home owner they were being introduced in the early 1980s..

Since then double glazing is the minimum standard for habitable dwellings and we don't see the rot and black mould that accompanied the condensation from single glazing anywhere near as much, and houses are much warmer and more efficient than they were before.

Improving energy efficiency benefits everyone in the long run. Early adopters pay a premium to get them first, but ultimately if they work, they replace the older more inefficient technology

You will not live of fresh air Da nor will it keep you warm either.

It's not 50% and it's being claimed the quality of the retrofits are poor and likely have to be redone.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2022/0426/1294432-retrofitting-climate-change/

Scratch any voter and you will find very few that are not cynics.