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

The Irish Wildlife Trust, IWT, recently issued a very stark warning about the biodiversity crisis, which is often forgotten in the context of the equally urgent crisis of climate change. It is very important for us to remember that biodiversity collapse could spell the end of our ability to live on this planet.

One of the areas the IWT pointed to was the critical importance of the marine environment. It, like many other organisations, is deeply concerned about the ramming through of the marine planning framework and the rubber-stamping of what is essentially the grabbing of very sensitive marine sites, such as the Kish Bank and the Codling Bank off the east coast and other parts of the country, by private companies. It is concerned these decisions would be rubber-stamped despite the potential implications for biodiversity, marine life and, of course, fishermen when we talk about a just transition.

I want appeal once again to the Taoiseach to allow for proper scrutiny of the marine planning framework to take place before the vote next week. There should also be no question of there being a rubber-stamping of licences for private companies for sensitive areas off the east coast and other areas before there is a framework and law to govern the proper planning and development of the marine environment.

See this speech in context