As a summer of soaring temperatures across the globe gives way to flooding and increasingly frequent winter storms, there is no escaping the reality that the climate crisis has arrived on our shores. It is no longer an imminent threat, but a here-and-now reality – one that requires us to mobilise every tool at our disposal to adapt to and mitigate the worst of its impacts. Safeguarding the unrivalled role that our oceans play in tackling climate change should be a key part of the State’s response.
However, an alarming gap exists between what is necessary and what the Government has achieved to date, with the Environmental Protection Agency forecasting that the State will miss almost all of its 2030 targets. As the Taoiseach prepares to travel to the UN climate negotiations in Abu Dhabi later this month, he will find it difficult to draw on many positive examples of Irish success in addressing a changing climate that has forced its way beyond the front door of Irish homes and businesses.
Against this backdrop, the Government’s slow progress in enacting the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Bill is difficult to understand. This key piece of climate-related legislation will have a significant impact on our efforts to reduce our emissions.
When this law is finally enacted it will allow Ireland to designate 30 per cent of our oceans as protected areas, with 10 per cent of that designated as highly protected. This would allow for the protection and restoration of rare, threatened or pristine habitats, species and ecosystem processes, as well as for the replenishment of our fish stocks. The legislation is badly needed. The waters around Ireland are our greatest resource but have been mismanaged over decades resulting in worrying downward trends for many species of marine life.
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A recent OSPAR (the intergovernmental body co-operating on the protection of the north Atlantic) report which looked at the health of the north-east Atlantic found that many seabirds continue to suffer, and that despite some improvements, many marine mammals and fish populations remain at risk.
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Importantly, the ocean acts as a giant carbon sink, playing a critical role in sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and storing it away for potentially thousands of years.
The ocean absorbs at least 25 per cent of all global carbon emissions and captures 90 per cent of the excess heat generated by these emissions. Put simply, the more we protect and restore our marine environment, the healthier it becomes, and the better able it is to sequester carbon.
The legislation has already been through a process of legislative scrutiny at the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. But while it was scheduled to be initiated in the Dáil in July, it is yet to appear.
Securing cross-party support for the Bill during pre-legislative scrutiny has been a notable success for the Government, as the Bill will have implications for two key industries – fisheries and offshore renewable energy.
The fishing industry recognises better than anyone that fish stocks are dwindling. MPAs, though, will play a key role in allowing stocks to replenish and recover. And while the fishing industry is not a homogenous group, there is a growing acknowledgement that protecting the ocean through legislation will benefit not just our seas and wildlife but could provide an economic boom to the fishing industry in the long term.
The offshore renewable energy industry has also been a vocal supporter of MPA legislation. Providing legislative certainty as to how MPAs will be managed and where they will be located will allow the industry to plan accordingly.
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One of the strengths of the proposed law is that it should provide a legal framework where the different interests of the offshore renewable energy industry, environmentalists and the fishing industry, can be reconciled and work for all. It offers valuable lessons on how just transitions might be handled in other parts of society. Consultation and stakeholder participation has been crucial in that regard, and will remain important as the management of MPAs will rely on the active participation of local communities.
Making the transition that our planet urgently needs is not without challenges, but as climate change rages around us, we need to be brave and act quickly. At a time when successes are hard-fought and rare, a strong MPA Bill would be an easy win.
Sorley McCaughey is a representative of the Fair Seas campaign, a coalition of environmental NGOs including Birdwatch Ireland, Irish Wildlife Trust, Environmental Pillar, Streamscapes, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Coastwatch and Sustainable Water Network