Dr. James Moran:

I will speak about the risks for and concerns about what the future holds. We have to go back to the idea of head, heart and pocket. First, as regards the head, we must understand that the risk of not changing and not getting to where we need to get on climate biodiversity is not the destruction of the planet; it is the destruction of our civilisation. We must get it clear in our heads that business as usual, our current trajectory, is a cliff edge. We have seen this on the water side. We have travelled that road already. What has happened with nitrates is an indication of what will happen if we do not clearly communicate what is needed, have a vision for what is beyond the cliff edge and resource how to get there. We cannot keep repeating that situation. That is one thing. We must be clear in our heads.

With respect to our hearts, if society at large understands that everyone who is setting the policy and vision wants to get somewhere better and is not simply lining pockets, people will get behind it. To convince the heart, we must convince people that the right thing is being done. Fundamentally as Irish people we have a connection with the land. Most of us are only three or four generations removed from it at most. It has been instilled in us culturally that we should hand the land on in a better state. That is the heart piece.

People must be convinced that what we are doing now will be handing things on to the next generation in a better state. We need to be clear about where we are going to go with that.

One of the big issues is that we must realise that when we change, for people who are doing very well at the moment and who hold power, that power situation will change and people will lose out and will not be in the same positions they are in the current model. There needs to be a more equal model. People who are at the top end of society and who are maybe the richest and hold the most power and influence will have to let go of some of that and share some of that resourcing. We must recognise that as well.

As policymakers and politicians, members must be aware of those risks as well. It is a bigger challenge for developing countries and countries with more inequality than others. The more you have, the more inequality we seem to have but we need to address that.

We must be honest. In the new system there will be people who will lose out, or who will not be as wealthy or hold as much power as they do now. Then it comes back to the pocket and the State de-risking this transition.

The State has to take more of a guiding hand in this. We cannot freely leave things to the market. I do not subscribe to any one economic model and I think there are lots of things in the various economic models that would work. We have to find a new system that works, given the current reality. The State has to take a guiding hand in this in terms of regulation, better enforcement, incentives, and also revenue raising and taxation to resource this. Again, revenue raising and taxation will take money from people's pockets but it should be from where it can be afforded and that transition should be resourced.

It comes back to the heart. For people to accept this, they must be sure and be convinced that by relinquishing some of this power and this resource and sharing it more equally, there will be a better society for their children in 30 or 40 years' time. I know what I have just said is very pie in the sky and may be wishful thinking. When we have a disaster and things are wiped out, like after World War II, we had that sort of thinking in Europe after that crisis. I seriously hope we do not have to get to that level of destruction before we rebuild again. I think we are close to that level of destruction and the planet is giving us enough warning signs that we should be trying to act now.