Ms Karen Ciesielski:

It is an interesting question. I agree with Dr. Healy that there are definitely more than three challenges but one of the top ones is a lack of policy coherence or policy resistance. We need the policies as the key drivers. We need governance and we also need the legislative infrastructure to support the actions we know we need as a society. One example is Food Vision 2030 and we know the change that is needed there. The Environmental Pillar was on the stakeholder committee that developed that strategy but ultimately could not support it because it was not going far enough to achieve our climate and biodiversity goals. The second issue is a lack of public engagement, support and involvement in working together to achieve these very ambitious targets as a society. We need cohesion. The circular economy presents great opportunities for building local economies, local communities and resilience throughout the country. There are challenges but there are also great opportunities. The third and probably most pressing issue, which some folks have already mentioned, is the challenge of bringing everyone with us. Just transition principles must underpin all of our work. Social dialogue, engagement, buy-in and ownership are key elements in getting where we need to go.

I would also like to support Dr. Healy’s comments about the UN sustainable development goals. The Irish Environmental Network, IEN, is part of Coalition 2030 and so is the Environmental Pillar, which exists to promote and embed the sustainable development goals in Irish domestic policy. That provides an expansive framework within which we could act.