These upcoming Carbon Tax measures in May . . . PR disaster ? Own goal ? or Necessary evil ?

As with their last stint in Government, all the "Greens" in this country have managed to do is make things more expensive for the average citizen under the guise of saving the bunnies or whatever. If they had their way we'd own nothing, and live like peasants while the likes of China pollute more than Ireland ever will.

But, FF and FG are more afraid of SF (And more importantly, losing their grip on power which is why they agreed to Confidence and Supply, and then outright Coalition in the first place), and so the Greens will get to push their agenda some more (despite increasing rumblings apparently) as FF/FG need them for now.

Instead we'll get 100-200 off the electric/gas bill (not sure if that's total or each actually!) and maybe some tinkering on prescription costs and the fuel allowance - but very little for those who are actually paying for everything in this country!

This is an excellent point. People are very quick to point the finger at others when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions (and destruction of biodiversity) but very reluctant to look at their own consumption and usage habits.

Another example of this phenomena are headlines like "Just 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions". It almost implies that these energy companies are extracting these hydrocarbons and somehow sending them directly into the atmosphere for profit in some kind of closed system. It completely ignores the reality that they're providing the energy input that maintains the standard of living at the level demanded by the citizens of countries throughout the world. Simplistic headlines like that put the blame squarely on the energy companies while letting the end consumer of that energy and the products produced from it (disproportionately, people living in the developed world) off the hook.

This is what was in the Programme for Government on the topic:

We will legislate to hypothecate all additional carbon tax revenue into a Climate Action Fund raising an estimated €9.5 billion over the next ten years. This Fund will be utilised over that period to:

1. Ensure that the increases in the carbon tax are progressive by spending €3 billion on targeted social welfare and other initiatives to prevent fuel poverty and ensure a just transition
2. Provide €5 billion to part fund a socially progressive national retrofitting programme targeting all homes but with a particular emphasis on the Midlands region and on social and low-income tenancies.
3. Allocate €1.5 billion to a REPS-2 programme to encourage and incentivise farmers to farm in a greener and more sustainable way. This funding will be additional to funding from the Common Agricultural Policy. It will include incentives to plant native forestry and to enhance and support biodiversity