A leading climate activist has said the Green Party’s leadership challenge was a “disastrous move” in the middle of government formation talks.

Negotiating teams from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party are meeting again this evening amid renewed concern over whether a deal can be found.

The talks are focusing on one of the major stumbling blocks - the plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 7% a year - and there has been increasing pessimism today about the prospects of reaching deal.

The talks have been overshadowed somewhat in recent days by the confirmation that lead Green Party negotiator Catherine Martin will challenge Eamon Ryan for the party leadership this summer.

On this week’s episode of Down to Earth on The Hard Shoulder environmental scientist Dr Cara Augustenborg said the timing of the heave is disastrous.

“My opinion is that this was a disastrous move,” she said.

“It has a lot of us questioning why we voted Green in the first place. I have never seen a party that would actually try to heave a leader as they are going into government.”

Dr Cara Augustenborg pictured in Dublin in 2017 | Image: Photocall Ireland

She said the move “certainly undermined” the talks and the decision by some party members to publicly back her before she had put herself forward was a “disappointing move.”

“I think it has weakened the negotiating power because there is confusion over who will be leader,” she said.

Dr Augustenborg said she would have found it ‘shocking’ if the party had refused to enter talks with the two traditional parties – and said the issues now up for negotiation “would never have been brought forward by any other party.”

“Part of democracy is working with people who prioritise other issues,” she said.

“The last Government we had Richard Bruton saying, ‘look we are happy with a 2% to 3% reduction in emissions a year as part of our climate action plan – and aren’t we great for doing that?

“Now we have both him Leo Varadkar saying, ‘we recognise that we have to reduce emissions by 7% a year’ and they are willing to work hard on it.

“This is the conversation we needed to have years ago and it never would have happened if the Green Party was not at the negotiating table right now.

“For me, this is huge and this is very positive and this is about working together and compromising.”

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan arriving for the Dail in Leinster House. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

She urged Green Party members that are unhappy about the idea of working with the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to show how they would be more effective in opposition.

“I have seen opposition parties try and get stuff done, sitting on the side-lines there and the fact is they don’t,” she said. “Legislation happens when parties are in Government.

“If these Green Party TDs that don’t want to go into government or negotiate can come up with a plan that proves to me, they can get more climate action done by sitting in opposition, fair play.

“But I’ve never seen it happen and I am willing to bet it won’t.”

You can listen back to the full chat here: