The Irish Environmental Network

Micheal Martin T.D. Minister for Foreign Affairs opens Wood of Life exhibtion

Micheal Martin T.D. Minister for Foreign Affairs officially opened the Just Forests Wood of Life exhibition in Bishopstown Public Library, Cork on Friday 22nd January, 2010.
His speech is reprinted here.

It is a pleasure for me to be here this afternoon in Bishopstown Public Library to open the ‘Wood of Life’ exhibition for Just Forests.

Irish Aid, Ireland’s official Aid Programme, which is managed by my Department, is delighted to support this development education initiative.

I can see why the exhibition is very popular, particularly among students and the general public. It is unique and ‘hands-on’ and delivers a valuable learning experience.

It highlights, in a very meaningful way, the beauty of wood and the role and significance of timber and forests in the overall debate on sustainable human development.

In particular, it makes us all think about how our local actions have global consequences. We are all aware of the importance of wood in our houses and buildings but it is probably fair to admit that we rarely think of its origins.

The reality is that the choices we make in the use of particular types of wood can have detrimental consequences for the global environment, and in particular, for developing countries.

Now more than ever it is important that all members of our society, particularly our young people, have an opportunity to deepen their understanding of global development. The support offered by principals and teachers in encouraging the global perspective among their students is to be acknowledged and applauded. Also, the focus by Just Forest on the curriculum, at primary and post-primary level, will ensure that the message on sustainable development has relevance for our education system and has a lasting impact.

Poverty and the environment are closely linked. In developing countries, it is the poorest people who rely most heavily on their local environment for their food, their livelihoods and their well-being. It is also the poorest people who are affected most by climate change, although they have contributed least to it.

In particular, they suffer most from the destruction of their environment and from loss of biodiversity.

Ireland is very committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and we have made them our overarching objective in our overseas aid programme. One of these goals is to achieve environmental sustainability.

In this, the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014, the focus on education for sustainable development by organisations such as Just Forests, and in particular, environmental protection and natural resource management is very welcome. The UN has also marked 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity.

Irish Aid is committed under its environment policy to ensure that climate change and other environmental challenges are responded to and this is why it is one of the four priority issues that cut across the work of all our programmes.

One of the ways we can promote sustainable development is to highlight the links between deforestation and global poverty. Irish Aid’s development education programme has a key role to play in building a deeper public understanding of the causes and complexities of global poverty and in promoting public debate on sustainable solutions. Our support is provided to universities, schools, NGOs, and civil society groups.

Every year we see an increase in the number of young people actively engaging with development issues through Irish Aid programmes such as the Development Education Funding Scheme, the Worldwise Schools Linking and Immersion Scheme and through workshops on global development at the Irish Aid Centre. This is extremely encouraging.

We need younger people in Ireland to be advocates for global development and by participating at this exhibition and sharing your experiences afterwards you are helping to create a positive momentum for change.

I would like to wish Just Forests every success in your existing work with students and teachers in supporting education for sustainable development and also encouragement for your future plans including initiatives with professional bodies such as the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and the Architectural Society. I also understand that you are to be congratulated on reaching twenty one years as an organisation this year.

I would like to thank the board of Just Forests, and Tom Roche in particular, for their kind invitation and to everyone involved in organising today’s event. A special word of thanks must also go to the Bishopstown Library for providing such a wonderful and engaging venue for the exhibition.

I have no doubt that the combination of the exhibition in such a wonderful venue will provide a particularly enriching experience for visitors and participants.

Tom Roche of Just Forests recently had a letter to the editor published in the Irish Independent. The text of the letter can be read below.

A resource more precious than gold

It gives life. It takes life. We can have too much of it or we can have too little of it. We love it and we hate it. We pollute it then we spend millions trying to purify it.

Every day on television we see its significance to life in Third World countries and we generously make donations to projects that supply it.

Yet here at home we don’t recognise its importance and waste it on a large scale. One thing is for sure, no nation, no matter how wealthy and sophisticated it may be, can either produce it or do without it.

It’s more precious than gold. It’s called water.

At present we are all witnessing just how quickly the decline in drinking water can bring a nation to its knees.

All over this island we have seen the hardships people are experiencing just trying to get enough water to meet their basic needs.

For decades I have seen the enormous abuse of water in Ireland and find it appalling. Leaking pipes are ignored. Pollution of our waterways is a way of life and water management is practically non-existent.

My experience tells me that this must change.

As a young man of 18, I emigrated to Australia on the assisted passage scheme for 10 quid.

There I worked as a ‘rouseabout’ on a sheep station.

Water was both precious and scarce.

Every Saturday night before going to the dance in Kilmore (often on horseback), three of us would share the same bath water. The last person out of the bath would then scoop all the water out and put it in a bucket and pour the used water on the trees around our house.

We never pulled the plug and wasted water.

Now I am not suggesting that everyone in the country starts to bathe together — but we must stop taking water for granted and learn to manage it. Because when it’s all said and done, water is more precious than gold.

Tom Roche
Rhode, Co Offaly