Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

A wise person whom I know is fond of saying that we should live simply so that others may simply live. This sums up the view many of us aspire to have in respect of environmental matters. We have a duty to act responsibly towards the environment out of respect both for the world around us and the well-being and survival of our fellow human beings now and into the future. We should show solidarity across time and space in all our thinking in this area. Even if there was no evidence of a changing climate or that climate change was caused by man or if there was no international movement on the issue, we should still be trying to change some of our more negative habits in our own interests and in the interests of the world around us.

We have made significant progress and changed attitudes in many ways. While there has been a sea change, a huge amount remains to be done. I understand it is still the case that a large proportion of what goes into our green bins is not recycled and ends up being incinerated. That is indefensible if true. I am interested to hear what the Minister has to say about that. Likewise, the outrageous prevalence of single-use plastics in packaging, which has been mentioned by others, is indefensible. We should be thankful that there has been a big change in people's attitudes. I am confident that in the years to come we will look back on our use of plastic in the same way as we now look back on the nonsensical use of plastic bags in supermarkets in the past.

We can also do more to reduce the carbon footprint of our imports by shopping locally, or at least within Europe, to the greatest extent possible. With that in mind, it seems very difficult for the European Union to defend aspects of the Mercosur trade deal which could see 99,000 tonnes of South American beef transported across the Atlantic every year.