Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has come under fire over recent comments in which he suggested there were benefits to climate change.

Mr Varadkar claimed the climate emergency could lead to fewer deaths due to warmer winters and lower heating bills.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan TD has hit at the Fine Gael man, criticising him for a lack of understanding on the issue.

"It is hard to believe that the Taoiseach is holding out the possibility of warmer winters as some kind of climate change silver lining. Such comments risk undermining public support for ambitious solutions and show little understanding of the potential downsides that climate change will bring," he commented.

-- Advertisement --

"It is difficult enough to raise public support for changes in Forestry, Transport, Energy and Agriculture without the Taoiseach publicly touting the supposed benefits from inaction. The truth is that hundreds of millions of people across the world are already at risk from climate change, and we will not be immune from the same consequences unless we change our ways."

The party's deputy leader Catherine Martin also expressed concern, questioning whether the Taoiseach understands the climate crisis or if his comments "represent a glib attempt to obfuscate the issue".

(CM/MH)