We now need some miracles to convert the political system onto a true path of sustainability.

The irresponsibility of World Leaders, borne out of a fear of stifling economic growth, is being blamed by the Green Party in Ireland as the main cause of the failure of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development to make any binding progress towards securing the ecological future of the planet. The debt crisis has been used as an excuse to stick to an economic model that ignores the real limits to growth. We are still measuring progress by how many goods we consume rather than how the quality of our lives improve.

Speaking following the RIO+20 Summit, Green Party Environment Spokesperson Cllr. Malcolm Noonan said that future generations would look back on the events of the Rio Summit as a low watershed for the environmental movement but perhaps a time when civil society groups took control and became more vocal in demanding a change in direction from World Leaders.

"The future ecological, social and economic sustainability of the planet has been sacrificed on the altar of continued economic growth and expansion, veiled in the cloak of 'the Green Economy'," he said. "You cannot have a functioning economy without resources to fuel it and a stable environment in which to develop. The mantra of continued unchecked economic growth is a taboo subject and cannot be questioned politically, yet it has been and will continue to be the root cause of our current economic and environmental crises. Rio has failed because of a lack of political courage and it is clear that our World Leaders cannot be trusted where the future of the planet is concerned."

"At home we also need a rational debate about an alternative economic model. There is a hunger in our country for real political and economic reform. We have been too reliant on being a localisation point for global capitalism. We should instead be a global centre for international companies who are willing to play their part in protecting our planet. We need to develop our own local economy based on our natural hospitality, our creativity, and better use of our abundant land, sea and energy resources. That economy would meet our material needs. It would give us something to be proud of. It would make us feel good," he continued.

"Such a change would require a Government that is committed to sustainability, but that no longer exists in our country. Minister Hogan needs to undergo a conversion on the road home from Rio, he then needs to convert his cabinet colleagues. At the end of this sad week for the environmental movement, we are depending on such miracles to happen," concluded Cllr. Noonan.