Eamon Ryan’s final significant voyage in his ministerial role was to Brussels, where he saw the Nature Restoration Law ratified by parliament and become established EU law. This was a significant milestone for someone who had dedicated his political career to this cause.
Malcolm Noonan, a fellow politician, acknowledged on the following Tuesday that Ryan would be recognised for revolutionising the Irish environmental movement and integrating it into popular thinking.
Three decades ago, at the start of his involvement in politics, environmental concerns were largely irrelevant within the Irish political climate. Today, they form the core of Irish political debates. This drastic shift can be credited to Ryan and his party’s work. However, the required changes proposed by the Greens, some of which are challenging and expensive, have drawn political backlash.
When Ryan first joined the Greens, there was an absence of leadership and an extreme agenda backed by ecological and anti-nuclear movements, which eventually led to internal disputes between pragmatists and purists. These conflicts remained until the 2020 general election, but have since died down.
Ryan himself has always identified more with the pragmatic group. With an education from Gonzaga and UCD, he operated a bicycle business from the Belfield campus and first engaged in politics as the chair of Dublin Cycling Campaign.
Following his succession to Dublin City Council, he made it to the Dáil for the first time in 2007. Ryan took the role as the Minister of Energy and Communications when the Green Party, with its six TDs, formed a coalition with Fianna Fáil.
His character was unmistakable from the outset, with a disinterest in the confrontational aspects of politics and a desire for compromise. His ambitious goals often aimed for “moonshots,” many of which succumbed during the financial crisis. Regardless, his major target of 40% renewable electricity generation was met, albeit later than anticipated.
After bearing a considerable loss in 2011, with all its Dáil seats relinquished, Ryan assumed the leadership role and gradually revived the party. This culminated in major success during the 2019 local and European elections and led to a record-breaking win of 12 seats in the 2020 election.
The divergence between the realistic and extremist factions recur again. Following a fierce conflict, the members reached a consensus to join the government. Even though the poll outcomes indicated otherwise, Ryan managed to evade a leadership challenge posed by Catherine Martin immediately post-election.
[Study: Eamon Ryan’s resignation could complicate the concluding phase of this Coalition]
Ryan’s subsequent tenure in government is characterised by an unyielding concentration on his extensive department of environmental affairs, climatic changes, transport, and energy. The Climate Change Act became a palpable fact. Investment leaned heavily towards public transit and active transportation. The transition to offshore wind and solar energy progressed rapidly.
Ryan’s tenure was not without scandals, errors, and claims that he had pushed the party too close to its middle-of-the-road coalition partners. He has also been depicted, much to his disappointment, as a foe of rural Ireland, agriculture, and highways.
Despite enduring unpleasant slander, particularly on social platforms, Ryan has maintained his composure. He is greatly esteemed in Europe for his commitment to the environment and served as the European Union’s chief negotiator for “loss and damage” at the previous two global COP summits. Many of his acquaintances predict that he will have a future in Europe beyond politics.
[There are at least three potential successors for Ryan in the Dublin Bay South general election contest]