The Government needs to be “stronger” in communicating about the “opportunities” of tackling climate change, the Tánaiste has said. 

Micheál Martin is currently on a four day trip to the Horn of Africa, where he is visiting Ethiopia and Kenya. 

After visiting climate-focused start-up companies in Kenya, Minister Martin said it shows how successful climate policies can be and that the Government needs to get better at explaining this. 

“We could be stronger in our communications strategies around climate and the opportunities that can emerge in terms of addressing climate change,” he said. 

“Many people see it every day in their lives; I mean, if you look at the active travel agenda of this Government over the last four years, the budget has grown exponentially. 

“We see the greenways, we see the active travel routes that are being created all over the country.” 

Wonderful afternoon meeting members of the Irish community here in Kenya.

Ireland & Kenya have a strong relationship and we continue to build connections through development cooperation, business, tourism, education & trade. pic.twitter.com/xf1bmnaxhW

— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) July 17, 2024

Minister Martin said a false perception has taken root that initiatives to tackle climate change are an 'economic burden'.

In fact, he believes they are providing jobs and skills to huge numbers of people in Ireland. 

“Companies are forming in that whole retrofit area,” he said. 

“They can see the next 10 years of consistent investment because of the initiative we took. 

“Therefore, if you give an industry a horizon, it will grow and develop capacity and skill sets to meet that. 

“So, we could do better on the communication side of it but it’s very real now.” 

Last year, Ireland’s carbon emissions dropped by an estimated 4%.

Main image: Micheál Martin in Kenya. Image: Department of Foreign Affairs.