Cabinet Committees
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-19
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Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central

In response to Deputy Ahern, I think people still need aeroplanes. The issue is fuel efficiency and the type of fuels used, but people want to fly around the world. That is the reality. However, I take the Deputy's overall point. It is about balance. Our population has increased by 52% since 1995 and we have had record economic growth over that period, yet emissions are going down. Ireland is a very good example of an island that basically has decoupled economic growth from environmental degradation and rising emissions. In other words, we have achieved economic growth while also reducing emissions. We need to reduce them more but I think the direction of travel is very positive.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-19