Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is our view in the Green Party that the biodiversity crisis should and must remain top of the political agenda over the next decade. Biodiversity is literally about the air we breathe, the food we eat and the places we live. The collapse of natural habitats, the loss of species and the degradation of our fresh and marine water ecosystems are on a scale unparalleled in human history. Future generations will judge us on how we respond to this existential crisis but we are up for the challenge. We all want to be able to look our grandchildren in the face and say we did everything today that we could, rather than hide away when they ask what we did. We are in the last second of the last minute before midnight as we face the complete destruction of all we have grown up to know and which our children will not know. Unfortunately, we must place an economic value on biodiversity because we live in an economic system. Although there is considerable social and natural value, including health and heart value, we have to have an economic value. I was disappointed to hear Sinn Féin may not recognise the need for that. Its members are always talking about workers' rights but the farmers are the workers at the centre if we are to be successful regarding biodiversity.