Ms ?ine Dempsey:

I thank the Chair and members of the committee for the invitation to contribute to this meeting. My name is Áine Dempsey. I am a climate activist and am speaking today on behalf of UNICEF. Today I will be providing a youth perspective on the climate crisis and the circular economy. It is imperative we remember why we are here. I quote Mary Robinson who said, “Climate change is the greatest threat to human rights in the 21st century.” There is no denying the scale of the challenge before us. Nonetheless, it is a challenge that we must face. If we fail to tackle the roots of this issue, we will continue to experience the catastrophic consequences that are currently disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable in society.

The most recent IPCC report gave us a stark warning. We are running out of time and we are not acting fast enough. Some effects of the climate crisis have already been deemed irreversible. Professor Debra Roberts, co-chair of the IPCC, warned:

Our report clearly indicates that places where people live and work may cease to exist, that ecosystems and species that we've all grown up with and that are central to our cultures and inform our languages may disappear. So this is really a key moment. Our report points out very clearly, this is the decade of action, if we are going to turn things around.

The cost of doing what is necessary to maintain a liveable planet is nothing in comparison with what we will lose if we fail to do so. The climate crisis does not compromise. It is not possible to negotiate with science. Nor does the climate crisis consider what is politically possible. The youth of Ireland have made our position abundantly clear, taking to the streets in our thousands to demand that our decision-makers listen to the experts and take meaningful action.

I, along with my colleagues in Climate Rights Ireland, produced a consultation-based report, entitled Children’s Rights and the Climate Crisis in Ireland. We went directly to the children of Ireland and we asked them how the climate crisis is affecting them. They told us that the climate crisis is negatively impacting their everyday lives physically and psychologically. Our report found that those in rural areas are feeling a disproportionate impact while also receiving the least support. Some 68% of children consulted in rural areas said that the necessary resources were not available to them, and where they were, they are unreliable, such as access to functioning electric vehicle charging stations and access to even the basic levels of public transport. One participant shared their experience of their crops dying more frequently in the heatwave we have been experiencing. Another spoke of the floods in Cork city that had a negative impact on their sense of security as well as their community's livelihood.

Ireland has consistently failed to meet our international targets. This lack of action is impacting how young people view the world and their future. They told us that they were feeling helpless, hopeless and terrified for the future. Participants who engaged with their decision-makers felt their concerns were disregarded and their voices were being tokenised and then brushed aside. They feel the burden of responsibility that our generation will need to be the ones to clean up this mess but we do not have the luxury of that time. This cannot wait. The Government has a responsibility to show these children that there is a reason for hope and not to be fearful for their future by showing that its generation is determined to prevent the worsening of the climate crisis.

To look to the future, we must critically examine our past. Here is where the circular economy comes in. We all know Ireland has an objectively poor performance in regard to circular material use. According to the OECD, Ireland had a circular material use rate of just 2% in 2020, compared with the EU average of about 12.8%. The Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act features a number of welcome provisions, including amendments to the Waste Management Act 1997 allowing for the use of CCTV and similar technologies in these investigations, and the additional levies on single-use items, a tried and tested method which was successful in reducing plastic bag waste by 97.5% between 2001 and 2018. However, it is the implementation of these provisions that is important. We are advocating for a plan that is maintainable in the long term and is rigorously enforced.

The recent OECD report highlighted some concerns as to the approach that may be helpful to consider in devising the circular economy strategy. Ireland's current approach tends to focus on recycling and recovery rather than extending the life cycle of a product by repairing and reusing and also preventing the waste from occurring in the first place. There is some concern over the lack of area-based considerations, as a single national waste management plan may fail to account adequately for local factors such as differences in economic activities, income and population density as well as access to services.

Ireland may be a small nation, but we would be ill-advised to underestimate the influence we have. There is no denying there is a challenging task at issue here. The clock is ticking and each decision we make is essential. The youth of Ireland are worried for their future, for their children's future and for the safety of the most vulnerable people across the globe. This committee needs to give them a reason to have hope. We have made our position known and now it is time for our politicians to act. Gabhaim buíochas as éisteacht le mo chuid óráide. I thank members for listening. Should it arise, I would be happy to address any questions they may have.