Ryan says he is ashamed of Ireland’s environmental record

EAMON Ryan has said that he is ashamed of Ireland’s environmental record and that an ‘ecological disaster’ is unfolding.

The Green Party leader and Transport Minister was responding to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report yesterday, which stressed that solutions to combat environmental problems need to be accelerated.

Raw sewage is being discharged into water, bird species are under threat and 480 of Ireland’s rivers have lost their pristine status in 30 years, the report found.

It also said that almost 90% of Ireland’s energy is generated from fossil fuels, air quality in some urban areas does not meet World Health Organisation standards and almost all natural habitats are being damaged.

EPA director general Laura Burke said: ‘The overall quality of Ireland’s environment is not what it should be, and the outlook is not optimistic unless we accelerate the implementation of solutions across all sectors and society.’

Ms Burke called for an overarching environmental policy position and a ‘commitment to live up to the image of a clean, green island’.

Mr Ryan told Newstalk Breakfast that the destruction of the natural world is happening because of us but key issues that can be tackled are climate change, poor water quality and depleting biodiversity. He said he was ashamed reading the report but it is why he is a Green politician. The minister said: ‘It’s the reason myself and my colleagues are in politics... We’ve been aware of the ecological disaster that is unfolding.’

The EPA called for ambitious action to protect nature and said that any postCovid stimulus package should be green-focused to avoid locking Ireland into carbon-intensive projects.

Dr Micheál Lehane of the EPA said: ‘Unspoilt areas are being squeezed out and we are losing our pristine waters and the habitats that provide vital spaces for biodiversity.’