Three things the Irish election should focus on

1. Tackling climate change

This week, the Climate Change Advisory Council published its annual review, warning the Government that the pace of progress in reducing carbon emissions – while certainly representing a clear improvement on previous trends – will not be sufficient to meet reduction targets for 2030. While there have been significant improvements especially in the last year, Ireland remains well placed to achieve the kind of figures that would meet our legally binding national and EU targets.

So what? you say. Another gloomy climate report; Another bunch of ignorable warnings. Well, maybe. More on that later. But politicians – especially those with aspirations to govern, and no, it’s not all of them – need to think about these issues not just as future climate problems but as current budget problems. The climate council has estimated that Ireland could face fines of more than €8 billion if the current trajectory is maintained. This would be fiscally disastrous for the next government, which would be faced with spending money paying fines instead of improving services, building infrastructure or reducing taxes.

( A strong scientific vision must ensure that climate and biodiversity research tops the national agendaOpens in a new window )

It doesn’t take the most sophisticated knowledge of government to understand the wisdom of spending billions to reduce carbon emissions before we are fined billions for not doing so.

The second thing requiring action in the climate area is long-term preparation for the effects of climate change that are now inevitable. This requires investment in flood defences, water management and the ability to cope with extreme weather events which experts say are now likely to occur more frequently.

An open letter published last weekend by 44 experts from 15 countries warned of the danger of disruption to the Atlantic ocean current system which, among other things, moderates Ireland’s climate via the Gulf Stream. Measurements suggest the currents are slowing, a process driven by the melting of the Greenland ice sheet, and scientists fear it may be in the process of closing completely. If that happened, it would have dramatic consequences for Ireland, making our climate – counterintuitively – much, much colder. Ireland can do nothing on its own to prevent this. But we can prepare for it.

Like so many decisions facing governments, the best time to make them was 20 years ago. But it would be unforgivable not to do it now. If this isn’t an election issue, I don’t know what is.

2. Immigration

People get nervous about this being debated for all kinds of good reasons. But we can’t hide our heads in the sand; It must be part of the electoral debate.

Immigration is disrupting politics across Europe, fueling the rise of far-right parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Germany and the Freedom Party in Austria. At last week’s summit, EU leaders spent much of their time discussing the issue, talking about stricter border controls, faster deportations of rejected asylum seekers and a “hybrid war” by hostile countries that They are pushing migrants across borders to destabilize EU member states.

EU leaders are being pushed to toughen their stance on migration by their own voters: either they are elected (like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni) on promises to reduce migration, or they fear that if they don’t they will. They will be replaced by someone who will. Voters across Europe have deep doubts about the levels of migration to their countries. There’s just no way to escape it.

( Not enough data is being collected on the integration of immigrants into Irish society, says European bodyOpens in a new window )

The debate about migration here often tends to be refracted through the prism of the problems of accommodating people who come here seeking asylum or international protection. But this is just a subset of overall migration – which includes people who come here legally with work permits, people who come from EU countries and don’t need work permits (just as Irish people don’t need them elsewhere). of the EU); people born in England, many of them of Irish descent, moving here; etc. We need an immigration and asylum policy that is humane, credible, has public support and keeps Ireland open to the world in a sustainable way. Ireland needs immigrants, but clearly cannot – like anywhere else – manage an unlimited number of arrivals. Survey after survey confirms that immigration is a public concern. It would be crazy to ignore that.

3. Ireland’s economic model

The surprising performance of the Irish economy over the last decade should not make us forget its vulnerabilities. Politicians and the public alike take this for granted, and the prolonged run of corporation tax windfalls until recent years has allowed the Government to embark on a three-year spending spree before the election. There is a clear and present danger that the election campaign will become a massive auction, based on the idea that money will not be an issue. That would be extraordinarily dangerous.

( The state will receive the equivalent of another Apple windfall in the coming yearsOpens in a new window )

To be fair to the Coalition, it has allocated large amounts of the surplus to long-term savings and investment funds, and another €4 billion has been transferred this week. Less attention has been paid to ensuring the engines of the Irish economy keep turning. What is necessary to do that? Multinationals are crying out for investments in infrastructure. Universities that supply an educated workforce are experiencing a financial crisis. The costs of doing business have never been higher. Make your own long list.

( Irish businesses less worried about geopolitical disruptions than their counterparts abroadOpens in a new window )

There is no doubt that Ireland has been lucky. But as golfer Gary Player said, the more I practice, the luckier I get. Nothing is more important to our society than maintaining the prosperity that provides governments with the resources to redistribute and improve that society. It should be the first priority in this and all elections.