Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As mentioned by previous speakers, it was timely for National Biodiversity Week that researchers from Queen's University Belfast published a report containing some of the clearest evidence that we are failing utterly in our efforts even to limit the damage we are causing to the planet. The populations of half the animal species on earth are declining. This means more than just a few species going extinct; it represents a genuine threat to how we will live and survive. Without preserving the biodiversity and delicate ecosystems we exploit so ruthlessly, we will have nothing left for generations to come. Fish stocks will dry up and disappear, the fertility of tillage fields will lessen, requiring more and more artificial and expensive fertilisers, and what little forest we have will end up quiet and empty. The report ends with the stark message that "now is the pivotal time to protect the future integrity of biodiversity and thereby the persistence of humanity".

In our effort to combat climate change, the role of healthy ecosystems and habitats is often overlooked. Without the resilience they provide, we are far more vulnerable to the severe weather events we see every year and whose number is increasing. Greed and the obsession with continuous growth have led us to this point. There is a complete disconnect between what the planet can provide and what we can squeeze out of it. Our current way of living is unsustainable and our current model of economic growth is too.

We have seen how the war in Ukraine has affected global food supplies. Our world is more precarious than we would like to admit. We slash and burn the Amazon and dredge the ocean floor and expect nothing to alter. We pour pollutants into our rivers and then wonder why fish kills, such as the one in Clare a fortnight ago, happen. I am referring to whole stretches of river, kilometres long, poisoned and full of dead, rotting fish. I remember this from my childhood on the River Dodder.

The proportion of forest cover in this State is among the lowest in Europe. At 11%, it is only one third of the European average. The trees we have planted are non-native spruces, planted for profit and utterly unsuited to protecting our natural biodiversity. Only 2% of this State is covered by native forest. This is a shocking figure and it shows just how drastically we have cleared the forests that once blanketed this whole island. We are still selling off forestry lands to foreign investors so they can continue with this cycle. Afforestation projects are simply too small and Government targets manage to be both unambitious and unreachable at the same time. The Minister of State might explain that when he gets a chance.

I believe we are too ignorant of the impact of relatively everyday actions on the environment around us and the flora and fauna we rely on. Most of us have got leaflets through the door on No Mow May, for instance. May, as the warmer weather appears, is a crucial time of the year for many birds and insects. What green spaces we have are routinely mown down to the soil by local authority crews. This creates huge patches of grass that you could play snooker on but that support very little light. We may have a lush, green landscape in Ireland but this does not mean we have not done massive damage to our native species, both plant and animal.

I was out at the weekend with a local litter cleanup group in Jobstown and came across the cuckooflower. It was once relatively common but is now an increasingly rare sight as we cut back and clear every green space. This particular flower is important to the orange-tip butterfly, which lays its eggs only on it. We clear out the flowers and the butterflies and pollinators die out.

I have given a small example of something that affects a butterfly and a flower that some would call a weed. The mass clearing of trees and so-called waste ground is an example of a more destructive practice. We see this on riverbanks and other such places, where the verges are shredded and left looking like a tornado has ploughed through them. The time for talk and debate has long since passed. Like those who denied climate change, those who claim they are not locked into a biodiversity crisis are on the wrong side of history. We need to rethink our forestry policy and turn it into one that delivers for the environment. The protection and expansion of our native woodland cover can help sequester carbon dioxide, enhance air quality and protect our biodiversity.

Unfortunately, the Government has completely abandoned its forestry targets. The number of trees we are planning is the lowest in 80 years. Government members might shout from the rooftops about the budget surplus but it is hard to see where it is of benefit to Irish people, whether it relates to the public service, as in healthcare, to capital projects, as with the mass construction of social and affordable housing, or to protecting the biosphere that has made Ireland one of the best places in the world for agriculture. We need to involve everyone in addressing this issue, not just the middle class, the young or the old, and we all have a role to play. We all need to do more.

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