The Green Party has failed to secure top spot in an assessment of parties’ manifesto climate commitments commissioned by NGO Friends of the Earth.
Instead, the Labour Party has secured the highest grade for its manifesto among the parties assessed, with Roderic O’Gorman’s Greens beaten into third by the Social Democrats.
The assessment was carried out for Friends of the Earth by Dr Cara Augustenborg, an environmental scientist at UCD, UCC’s sustainable energy Professor Hannah Daly and sociology professor Mary Murphy of Maynooth University.
Labour was awarded an ‘A’ grade when its manifesto was evaluated against the five core demands in Friends of the Earth Ireland’s programme for faster and fairer climate action 2025-2030.
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The Social Democrats received an ‘A minus’ and the Green Party got a B, ahead of People Before Profit, who got a C, and Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Fine Gael, who were awarded an ‘E’ grade, as was Independent Ireland. Aontú was awarded a ‘G’ scoring.
The parties were assessed over their commitments in leadership, homes, energy, transport and food.
Mr O’Gorman’s party has made climate – and specifically, the suggestion that only his party can deliver on climate in a coalition where larger parties will make up the bulk of government seats – a key plank in his election pitch to voters.
But the assessment, while finding a “strong commitment” to government leadership, “lacked the big picture vision and bolder ambition of higher ranked parties”. It found the party’s responses to areas like heating, protection of those on low income and the practice of below-cost selling in supermarkets were “weaker than those proposed by Labour or Social Democrats”.
The Green Party is expected to double down on its warnings to voters about the impact of Independent TDs as the parties summon their energy for the final week of the campaign.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are anticipated to foreground stability and the economy amid the prospect of economic headwinds, with the latter expected to focus on housing, the cost of living and public services – as well as the risk to the economy and how it would deal with major changes if the United States adjusts its trade stance.
Sinn Féin is to make a play for undecided voters in an effort to convince them that the result of the election is not a foregone conclusion. Mary Lou McDonald’s party is also expected to target Independent candidates, while focusing on housing and the cost of living.
Labour, meanwhile, will characterise the larger parties as pursuing a short-term tax-cutting agenda, and the Social Democrats will focus on investment in services to drive down the cost of living.
All parties are reporting greater engagement from voters as the final week of campaigning beckons, with a big emphasis and political pressure now expected on the three-way leaders’ debate on Tuesday evening.
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