Reposted by Justin Byrne
Well, this times 10 now, especially given that they got SAVE out fairly early today.
Justin Byrne
@justinbyrne.bsky.social
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Irish Environmentalist. #Aarhus #SDGs #CircularEconomy #FBPE #Cyclist, Wannabe good guy
![Sir, - Former TD Brian Leddin argues (“I resigned from the Greens over its backing of Connolly”, Opinion October 15th) that the Green Party’s support of Catherine Connolly signals that it has become “less concerned with the environment and more focused on broader social issues”.
He states that “I hope that, in time, [the Green Party] will once again focus on the greatest challenge of all – safeguarding our environment and addressing climate change.
This week we have learned of the destruction of 30 acres of centuries old forest in Co Cork, including almost 2km of what the National Parks and Wildlife Service described as “ancient, long established” hedgerows, possessing “high biodiversity value” for local wildlife.
This is the second reported such incident this week, and one of many similar acts in recent years. A direct line can be traced from this destruction to the cultural and political climate cultivated by the Heritage Bill brought in by Heather Humphreys as minister for arts, heritage and Gaeltacht affairs in 2016. The Bill allowed for a two-year pilot law that would permit hedge-cutting in August and burning in March during nesting season.
The Bill was vociferously opposed across the spectrum of environmental organisations.As Green Party Senator Grace O’Sullivan stated in opposition at the time, “You cannot slash and burn for two years and call it scientific data collection. That’s not how science works.” Despite widespread and vocal opposition, the Act was bulldozed through the Oireachtas in 2018. A noteworthy investigation by Niall Sargent found that 3,000km of hedgerows, many of them ancient, were cut or removed in just three years, from 2018 to 2021.
In contrast, Connolly’s votes, speeches and actions are evidence of someone focused, as Leddin asks, “on the greatest challenge of all – safeguarding our environment and addressing climate change”.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:b7ou2gv5kwbbcxdacxrfjbtd/bafkreicuxucl3bn2g5q7hmag46vcrly45ghn5ir3fcfngxfszexu6rp4uq)
