Is dismissal self-serving or plausible? Michael O’Leary on climate change

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary is one of the most successful businessmen this country has produced. He radiates a can-do, won’t-take-no-for-an-answer determination and positivity.

He is such a forceful, successful figure that it is often suggested that he is the kind of person needed to drive change in struggling State organisations.

Despite all of those achievements last weekend he jumped on a discredited bandwagon when he joined Dáil deputy Danny Healy-Rae and Donald Trump’s drill-baby-drill flat-earthers by denying climate change.

Speaking on RTÉ he said: “I don’t accept the connection between carbon consumption and climate change. People use very short-term weather analysis to justify climate change was happening.” He continued with a pot-kettle-black observation: “I’d always be wary of these people who are very extreme in their views... “

European Commission figures on commercial aviation’s greenhouse gas emissions might be helpful in understanding Mr O’Leary’s rejection of the view of the great majority of scientists who have considered climate change.

“Direct emissions from aviation account for about 3% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions and more than 2% of global emissions. If global aviation was a country, it would rank in the top 10 emitters,” warns the EC.

“Someone flying from London to New York and back generates roughly the same level of emissions as the average person in the EU does by heating their home for a whole year.”

Just last month the Commission revised EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) so it might better tackle CO2 emissions from aviation following an agreement by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. These are of course pressing, bottom line issues for the CEO of an airline that, according to its website, will carry 119m customers this year; runs a fleet of 360 Boeing 737-800 aircraft and operates over 1,800 flights per day.

Mr O’Leary also used the opportunity to attack the suggestion that meat production is unsustainable.

“This kind of nonsense that we all need to cut back on beef production or that we all need to eat vegetables or go vegan... is... complete and utter rubbish... “

Even if this is an understandable response from someone with a commercial interest in pedigree cattle it does not overturn the growing scientific advice around the real cost of meat production. It is not difficult to imagine how Mr O’Leary might respond to the Dutch government decision to order farmers to reduce herds increased to exploit the end of milk quotas just two years ago because of the increase in slurry production threatens water quality.

The executive has form in this area. Late last year, at a Fine Gael fundraising event where he was applauded, he excoriated public sector workers and said “immoral” striking gardaí should be sacked and insisted private bus companies be free to operate routes during industrial action. He also described RTÉ as a “rat-infested North Korean union shop”.

By any standard these are strident views — even if Mr O’Leary has made expressing strident views a signature characteristic. So strident in fact that it is time to give far more forensic consideration to why he expresses them.