Professor Anamarija Franki:

I thank the Deputy for that great question. We have done much regarding carbon sinks on land and to paraphrase my colleagues, carbon dioxide in science is not pollution in nature for any species or organisms. They thrive on it and we need to start understanding that. On the land, we are trying to restore the soil with micro-organisms, fungi and bacteria. We are now understanding how important that is for carbon sinks and nutrient replenishing. It is the same in the ocean. We need to start understanding how oceans and coastal systems work. Our historic data used to show what used to thrive in our coastal waters, for instance, where and how abundant Atlantic salmon was and the nexus between the land, coast and ocean.

To make it short, in certain areas where I worked closely on this, specifically Chesapeake Bay, we have already shown that it is necessary to restore systems together and not separately in silos. That is how they support each other. I am talking right now about eel grass beds, oyster beds and salt marshes, for example. Then on the other side we have mangroves, oysters, coral reefs, etc.

Our case, and Mr. Kavanagh also mentioned a blue belt around Ireland, is that we need to select, together with Ms McMahon and everybody else, the sites in which we can create marine protected areas, restore and enhance what we used to have there and showcase how important that is for not only carbon sinks, which are not only thriving and supporting life, but also nitrogen and nutrient sinks.

I could go on and on, by the way.