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

The climate situation was an emergency that needed to be addressed before Covid-19. The urgency to address the climate emergency has now been multiplied very significantly by the advent of Covid-19. There is a very important natural intersection between the destruction of biodiversity and the proliferation of pandemics.

Some serious scientists are, to some extent, suggesting and have evidence to believe that the frequency of pandemics in recent years is linked to the destruction of biodiversity. H1N1, swine flu, bird flu, coronavirus, SARS, MERS and Ebola are some of the more well-known pandemics. Why is this happening? One very significant reason is the destruction of biodiversity, given that biodiversity acts as a natural firebreak to the spread of virus and disease. The destruction of biodiversity, in particular the destruction of natural habitats and forests, creates the conditions where pandemics of this sort, and the jumping of viruses from animals to humans, become more likely. We need to grasp that very important fact.

Where are the most naturally biodiverse areas in this country? They are the ancient woodlands which have been almost completely destroyed. Does the Taoiseach know how much ancient woodland is left in Ireland? Just 0.002%, and that is under pressure. The lack of biodiversity in our forests has an impact in terms of its version of a virus, such as invasive species threatening them in, for example, Killarney National Park.

We need to protect and nurture the ancient woodlands and allow them to expand. We need a real focus on and investment in this area, rather than monoculture forestry and the forms of agriculture that are destroying our biodiversity in a way that is threatening not just the natural world but the ability of the planet to sustain our existence.

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