Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Planet Earth is undergoing its sixth mass extinction event. Biodiversity has dropped 68% globally since 1970, 50% of species that remain are seeing a decline in their population size, while less than 3% are seeing an increase in population size. Dr. Jonas Hein and Dr. Jean Carlo Rodríguez of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability said late last year, "Without fundamentally questioning our economic system, the success of the ... [global biodiversity framework] GBF remains highly unlikely." Like many other sustainability experts, they place the burden of blame on the capitalist mode of production and its permanent need for expansion. They do not have faith in market-driven initiatives to tackle the crisis.

Here in Ireland, the rewetting of bogland must be a key part of the State's sustainability campaign. The Guardianreports, "Peatlands are the superheroes of ecosystems: purifying water, sometimes mitigating flooding and providing a home for rare species." The EU nature restoration law would have 35% of land previously drained for agriculture rewetted by 2050. The Taoiseach says this goes too far. In truth, there are strong arguments that it does not go far enough. If it keeps carrying on down the road it is on, the Government will find itself on the wrong side of history, prioritising the interests of farmers and landowners above the interests of nature and society.

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