Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I think it is totally relevant, in fairness, a Cheann Comhairle. Where do we invest ISIF money if we do not invest it in fossil fuels? We want to invest ISIF money, NTMA money and public money in things that will help to deal with climate change, because this is about dealing with climate change. I am simply pointing out that one way we could do that is by investing in forestry. It is uncomplicated and it is win-win-win from the points of view of the economy, the environment and employment. It is a tragic fact that Ireland has the best conditions for forestry in Europe bar none and has the lowest level of forest cover in Europe bar none. That is a desperate failure, and we need to do something about it. Much lipservice has been paid to this and we are not progressing. In the same way, we have not really progressed in dealing with climate change and we are facing big fines as a result. We are the laggards, as the Taoiseach has said. In the same way, we are real laggards in this area, which could be so beneficial. As the NTMA and the ISIF are obliged to rethink their investment portfolio to move away from things that damage the environment, as this Bill proposes, I really hope they begin to think about areas like that, where investment would be environmentally beneficial.

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