The Green Party leader has expressed his concern around disinformation online.
Eamon Ryan, Minister for Transport and Climate, described some of the commentary as “really toxic”, and added it is “not reflective of how Irish people are”.
Asked whether he believes people understand the scale of the challenge of climate change, Mr Ryan said he feels the Irish are “absolutely committed on climate”.
“Anything can happen in our world at the moment. The world is fraught with uncertainty,” he said.
“I think the Irish public are absolutely committed on climate and but I think they’re slightly fearful of it at the moment, they can see it happening.
“I think Ireland isn’t any different to America or other countries where this has become a divisive issue. So we have to avoid that. And it’s difficult because you have an online world where it is used in this toxic, divisive, polarising way.”
He termed 2024 the “year of engagement”, which will start by “listening and admitting uncertainties”.
He went on: “Like you take the agricultural sector, which is the one that is most difficult. In the climate plan, from page 330 onwards, the land use issue, we admit all the uncertainties.
“And so we’re going to go through our agricultural community and say, ‘Listen, yes, let’s do carbon farming. It won’t really be introduced until the new commission is in place next year. And it’s really complicated in terms of how you measure carbon in soils and so on’.
“But let’s sit down and work together to work out a way in which we can benefit Irish farming by doing this. Starting by admitting that the science keeps changing, on land use particularly, and have a conversation. And I think that approach would see us avoiding going down the American divisive way.”
Asked about a false allegation in June 2022 that he had his bike driven to Limerick in a State-funded car for an announcement, Mr Ryan said it was “utter nonsense”, but it went viral.
“There’s another story in the midlands or in Offaly. That I was responsible for someone losing their bike franchise. It was absolutely accepted as gospel. Complete and utter nonsense, untrue,” he said.
“There is an issue at the moment in the disinformation, viral world where ‘what is the truth, where does the truth lie?’
“I’m not going to be going on Twitter, fighting away and battling back against that. I think you have to invest in good quality journalism as the antidote to it. But that is a problem – the disinformation and the kind of conspiracy theories that are out there is a real part of the thing we have to challenge.
“I won’t point the finger at any one person, but you just have to look online and see what some of the commentary is. It’s really toxic, which doesn’t connect with the public in my mind.’
“That’s not reflective of how Irish people are.
“I fear it could become so if it continues to dominate, but so you have to counteract that, but I don’t think we start out by pointing the finger at other politicians. That wouldn’t be our style.”
