Another biodiversity week is coming and after all the accolades we gave the Minister of State last year on his appointment, there is a lot his Department still has to address in the twin crises of climate and biodiversity we face. The longer we wait to finally move on this biodiversity crisis, the worse it will get. The biodiversity emergency declared in 2019 was recognition by the State of our rivers, natural habitats and the ongoing extinction of many different species. Little action has been taken to seriously address the twin crises. In the 1980s, about 500 Irish rivers were classed as the very best of quality. Today, there are only around 20, which is a 96% collapse in the space of 40 years. The Environmental Protection Agency’s, EPA's, Water Quality in Ireland 2019-2024 report found that just 52% of our surface waters meet minimum legal standards, meaning that 48% are failing. Those figures were in a piece written by Ella McSweeney in The Irish Times a few weeks ago in which she rightly claimed: "It is a shameful failure of governance and policy and a collective acceptance of shockingly low standards." She also highlighted some of the language that is used when discussing water quality and how it can alienate people from understanding just how poor the standard of water is in our country. Terms like "achieving water framework directive objectives” and "river basin management plan” can be off-putting for ordinary people. What does a river with a moderate status mean? McSweeney offers an alternative measurement. Can we drink from our rivers without vomiting? Can we swim in them without getting diarrhoea? These are simple things we should be able to do to judge whether a river is healthy. The truth is our rivers are becoming less drinkable every year. One need only look at last year’s EPA report on the state of Lady’s Island Lake in Wexford, which the climate committee visited last week. It is designated as both a special protection area and a special area of conservation, but an ecological disaster is unfolding there, according to experts. The deterioration is due to an excessive growth of algae blocking the sun from reaching the lake bed, which has been attributed to agricultural run-off entering the lagoon. This lagoon is a place of pilgrimage for many and is one of the crown jewels of tourism in the area, but it cannot be swum in, and certainly not drunk from. These issues were first identified as far back as 1983. What have successive Fianna Fáil- and Fine Gael-led Governments done to address the issue? Nothing is the long and short of it. They have left much of the important work to keep our local areas clean to the likes of local authorities and Tidy Towns committees. The committees do huge work nationwide, incredible work in promoting biodiversity and keeping our towns clean. They help to bring the importance of biodiversity down into communities. It can be seen in how areas are now left to go wild. There is the No Mow May campaign. People do not pull up dandelions the moment they see them any more and it is making a difference, but they alone cannot fully tackle this crisis. Recently, the British Government published a national security assessment of the risks of biodiversity loss to water, food, clean air and critical resources. The impacts of biodiversity loss will range from crop failures, intensified natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks to conflict within and between states, political instability and erosion of global economic prosperity, the report said. Increasingly scarce natural resources will become the focus of greater competition between state and non-state actors, exacerbating existing conflicts, starting new ones and threatening global security and prosperity. Critically, it claims that ecosystem degradation or collapse will challenge England’s food security. We share a climate with England so it is something this State has to get serious about as well. Some 40% of our food comes from overseas too, meaning we are currently unable to be food self-sufficient at present. Collapse of production in two or more breadbasket regions would have detrimental impacts. I have written twice to the Minister about this security assessment asking if it has been seen by his Department and whether any action has been taken in acknowledgement of its findings. Can the Minister of State confirm whether his Department is across it? Finally, ahead of World Bee Day tomorrow, it is important to mention their importance to biodiversity and our quality of life. As pollinators, they contribute significantly to producing fruit, vegetables and crops. The Native Irish Honey Bee Society is urging the Government to pass the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021, which would drastically help their dire situation.

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