HomeMy WebLinkAbout042223 Fwd_ DR&D _News_ Children's assembly on biodiversity calls on Ireland to 'treat the Earth like family'________________________________
ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
________________________________
Dear County Commissioners,
I am forwarding you an article from the April 22, 2023 edition of the Dublin Journal since it both inspired me and brought tears to my eyes. I felt moved to share it with you:
Children's assembly on biodiversity calls on Ireland to 'treat the Earth like family'
Young people aged seven to 17 have created nearly 60 recommendations on protecting and restoring Ireland’s biodiversity.
AN ASSEMBLY OF children and young people on biodiversity has called for Ireland to “treat the Earth like family” as it publishes a list of far-reaching calls to action to protect the
environment.
35 children and teenagers between the ages of seven and 17 met over two weekends in Wicklow and Killarney last October to learn about biodiversity loss and decide on recommendations
for policymakers.
The young people convened at the same time as a national citizens’ assembly on biodiversity loss, which issued its final report earlier this month and called for constitutional changes
to give people the right to a clean, healthy and safe environment <https://citizensassembly.ie/report-of-the-citizens-assembly-on-biodiversity-loss-report-launches/#:~:text=Final%20Report%20of%20the
%20Citizens'%20Assembly%20on%20Biodiversity%20Loss%20Launches,-April%205%2C%202023&text=Wednesday%205%20April%202023%20%E2%80%93%20The,was%20launched%20in%20Dublin%20today.> .
The youth assembly’s discussions and activities were facilitated by members of Dublin City University, University College Cork, and Terre des Hommes, a children’s rights organisation.
They compiled nearly 60 calls to action for policymakers and society, some of them going well beyond the government’s existing policies, including recommendations to ban coal, peat and
oil, rewild “redundant” roads, and reduce the number of cows in the country by half.
<https://img2.thejournal.ie/inline/6050318/original/?width=630&version=6050318> FABIAN BOROS Members of the assembly using drawings to communicate their ideas about biodiversity loss
The Earth should be treated like a family member or friend and future generations must be able to live in a world where there is no longer a biodiversity crisis and where children aren’t
left to carry the burden by past generations’ inaction, the assembly concluded.
The young people want every decision to take biodiversity into account, for children and youths to be included in decisions about biodiversity, and for biodiversity protection to be
a shared responsibility and a global, collaborative effort.
Finally, they stated that people must consume resources in a “sustainable, moderate way” that does not diminish the environment, biodiversity, or human rights, wellbeing and livelihoods.
Here's a link to the rest of the article
https://www.thejournal.ie/children-young-people-assembly-biodiversity-6049209-Apr2023/
Best wishes,
Lisa Crosby