Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

Citizens Assembly Report on Biodiversity Loss: Discussion (Resumed)

Dr. Mary Dobbs:

Returning to Dr. Doran's points regarding the EU and the recognition of nature's intrinsic value, as he was saying, the nature conservation directives recognise its value. There is not a level of recognition that goes up to the level of rights as of yet, but Spain, for instance, has recognised nature rights in the context of a water body. I have lost track of time at this stage, but I believe that happened earlier this year.

On the question of what things might be different, again it is very hard to pinpoint. Things that might change in the future would be, for instance, enhanced standards in relation to air or water quality, or the better enforcement of those standards. We know that 98% of individuals living across Europe live in areas where there is air pollution, and the standard of our water is not as pristine as we might like.

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