Constitution and biodiversity loss

The Need to Protect the Environment in the Constitution

Sir,

While the Government is puzzling over the meaning of “the family” for any amendments to the Constitution, perhaps it could instead take up the “overarching” recommendation of the world’s first Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Noting that the State had comprehensively failed to act on our Government’s 2019 declaration of a Biodiversity and Climate Emergency, in March 2023 it recommended that we incorporate protection for the environment into the Constitution to “ensure that nature is protected enough to continue to provide people with necessary ecosystem services, such as food, clean freshwater and air, and to allow people to access and enjoy a clean, safe and healthy environment, both now and into the future”.

Ireland supported the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution recognizing the right to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” as a human right in October 2021. With more than 150 countries having incorporated this right into their national constitution, there should at least be little problem defining the word.

Key Points:

• The State has failed to act on the Government’s 2019 declaration of a Biodiversity and Climate Emergency.
• Protection for the environment should be incorporated into the Constitution.
• Nature needs to be protected to ensure the provision of necessary ecosystem services.
• A clean, safe, and healthy environment should be accessible to all.
• Ireland supports the right to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” as a human right.

Yours sincerely,

TONY LOWES,

Friends of the Irish Environment,

Eyeries,

Co Cork.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to the following SDGs:

1. SDG 15: Life on Land
2. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
3. SDG 13: Climate Action
4. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the following targets can be identified:

• Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
• Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
• Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
• Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

No specific indicators are mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: irishtimes.com

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