Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill and commend the Minister of State and his Department officials on the work they have done on it. The Committee on Environment and Climate Action, which I Chair, was tasked with pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill. I note Deputies O'Rourke and Smith, who are members of the committee, are present. They worked on pre-legislative scrutiny, as did I and Deputy Whitmore, who spoke earlier. I commend them on their efforts.

I commend my colleague, Deputy Richard Bruton, who was appointed as a rapporteur on this issue. He compiled an extensive report for the committee and his efforts underpin the pre-legislative scrutiny report which we published in the autumn. In that report we put forward 62 recommendations to strengthen the Bill, and I wish to note that the provisions of the Bill bring very positive developments. However, I have some concerns about whether the language of some of the Bill is strong enough to ensure the legislation works in the long term and not just in the short and medium term.

Colleagues across the House have noted in the debate that the current global economy is based on a linear model of production and consumption, a model that is economically and environmentally unsustainable. Global demand for raw materials for things like food, electrical goods and clothes is increasing sharply and it is clear, perhaps now more than ever, that we need to find smarter and more efficient ways of using those raw materials.

In the past two years, we have faced a global pandemic and, as a consequence, a public health crisis. As life finally started to return to normal, Vladimir Putin's cowardly invasion of Ukraine caused unimaginable suffering for the people of Ukraine and instigated a further crisis in Europe and the world. The current security, energy and humanitarian crises, and the emerging food crisis, are not isolated events; rather, they are intrinsically intertwined. Following a two-year pandemic, they create a perfect storm that neither our energy dependence on fossil fuels nor the linear model of production and consumption can successfully address and overcome.

I have spoken about the security and energy crisis several times in the House. Today, I want to touch on the food crisis that could affect millions of people. Even before Putin started a war in Ukraine, the global food system was strained. Food systems cannot be resilient to crises if they are not sustainable. Just as with fast fashion, fast food is another extreme example of unsustainable practices that drive the take, make, waste model. While I might disagree with my colleagues across the House on many issues, I agree with some of Deputy Boyd Barrett's comments.

The globalisation and commodification of the food market has created huge problems and challenges, one of which is that it has made food cheaper. As prices are low, consumers consider the products to be disposable. The growing, processing and transportation of food uses a significant amount of resources. For all of the food that is wasted, the resources used to produce, deliver and cook it are wasted too.

In 2019, Ireland generated just over 1 million tonnes of food waste representing a carbon footprint as high as 3.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Cutting waste in half by 2030, in line with the United Nations sustainable development goals, will support the transition to more sustainable food systems as well as contributing to a reduction in emissions. However, I note with some regret that the specific waste reduction targets are not included in the Bill.

I commend the Minister and Department officials on their work to date in addressing the challenges and provided a legislative framework for the circular economy. I look forward to engaging with the Minister on Committee Stage and I hope he will be in a position to accept amendments.

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