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

As the Taoiseach knows, we are in not only a climate emergency but also a biodiversity emergency, and often the latter is forgotten and neglected. That is particularly important when we think about our marine area and the protection of it. Not only is that sea an unparalleled store of biodiversity but it is also the most important carbon sink. If we destroy marine biodiversity or if we do not have a proper system for ensuring it is developed in a sustainable way, we will do double the damage to both biodiversity and the attempt to battle climate change.

Against that background, I strongly urge the Taoiseach to study the identifying areas of interest for marine protected area, MPA, designation produced by the Fair Seas group. It castigates the Government for the fact that only 2% of our areas have been designated whereas we need to have a minimum of 30%, and points out that many of the self-selected sites for offshore industrial wind are on sites that would destroy potential marine protected areas. Will he look into that and ensure our marine is not destroyed by profit-driven companies?

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