I was elected to the Irish Parliament first in 2002 and was re-elected in 2007. I have been a TD for Dublin Bay South since 2016 and have been leader of the Green Party/Comhaontas Glas (www.greenparty.ie) since 2011.
I was born in Dublin and studied commerce in UCD before taking a job managing a marketing course in the university’s School of Business. I went on to establish a cycling tourism company, Irish Cycling Safaris, in the late 1980s and in 1996 won the Ernst & Young Tourism Enterprise Award. The business still trades successfully.
I was the founding chairperson of the Dublin Cycling Campaign and began my political career as a Dublin City Councillor for the Rathgar – Rathmines ward. I then went on to serve as a TD for Dublin South for nine years and as a Government Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2007 to 2011. Professionally, I have worked for a European climate organisation (www.e3g.org) and chaired the digital policy group in the Institute of International and European Affairs (www.iiea.com).
about eamon
I am Minister for both the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Transport – two key departments at the centre of Ireland’s climate transformation.
Since my re-election and appointment as Senior Minister and Government leader in Ireland’s three-party coalition I have led the enactment of Ireland’s world recognised Climate Act 2021, which sets binding targets to reduce emissions by 51% by 2030 and to move to net zero by 2050.
I have provided huge support for Ireland’s on-shore wind programme, which is already recognised as a world leader, have put in place the conditions to ensure huge advances in solar power and have kickstarted Ireland’s off-shore wind programme, which has enormous potential to not just power the country but produce hydrogen and provide vital energy to Europe and the UK.
In response to the energy crisis caused primarily by the war in Ukraine, my Department (Environment, Climate and Communications) developed the electricity credits which have gone to over 2.1 million households to help support them with higher energy bills over successive winters.
I was the first Minister in 75 years to reduce transport costs with cuts of 20% for all adults and 50% for young people from 18 to 25. I’m working hard to oversee the greatest transformation in Ireland’s public transport services in decades. Across rural Ireland there is now one new or enhanced bus service being rolled out every week. In our cities, I’m working hard to see the progression of the new Metrolink from Swords to the City Centre and plans for extended Dart services in Dublin, a new Metropolitan Rail Service in Cork and transformative metropolitan transport plans for Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
Over the last two years I have become more involved in international climate leadership (link to international). I was appointed as a lead EU negotiator at the last two COPs, leading negotiations on loss and damage at COP27 in Sharm-El-Sheik and on climate finance more broadly at COP27 in Dubai. I co-chaired the North Seas Energy Co-operation, along with the European Commission, in 2022, working to ensure an EU-wide agreement on the development of off-shore wind. This year, I look forward to co-chairing the International Energy Agency’s Ministerial, which will set out the strategy and ambitions of the global body for the next two years.