IRISH PEOPLE are "living beyond our environmental means" and are using too much of the planet's resources, Minister for the Environment John Gormley will tell a sustainable development conference today.
Mr Gormley was referring to a recent report commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which found that if everyone in the world consumed as much as an Irish person, three planets would be needed to sustain the world's population. The report also found that meeting policy targets in relation to the reduction of the State's "ecological footprint" would not be enough to live within the capacity of global resources.
Speaking ahead of his address to the annual conference in Dublin today of Comhar, the sustainable development council, Mr Gormley said Ireland must rein in its consumption of resources.
"We are living beyond our environmental means. If everybody in the world consumed as much as an Irish person, we'd need three earths. We need to assess how we move towards a more sustainable environment and a more sustainable economy where everyone has room to breathe," he said.
Mr Gormley acknowledged that current policies were not sufficient to reduce the State's ecological footprint. However, he said the Cabinet subcommittee on climate change was working to develop new policies.
At the conference yesterday, it was claimed an increased focus on sustainable development could help Ireland out of recession.
Prof Frank Convery, chairman of Comhar, said encouraging sustainable building could ensure the construction sector does not collapse and that sustainable businesses could thrive and give the economy a "much-needed" boost.
"We need to promote economic, environmental and social sustainability to ensure we overcome the current economic downturn and establish ourselves as leaders in developing sustainable communities," he said.
Other speakers included Tom Coffey of the Dublin City Centre Business Association and John Vidal, environment editor of the Guardiannewspaper.
Mr Vidal said it was important for authorities at national, local and grassroots levels to work to develop a more sustainable approach to living or else risk life in cities becoming untenable.
"There seems to be a gulf with different visions of sustainability and clearly there is a need in Ireland, as well as in the UK, for a national debate about which way the countries develops," he said.
"With a potential recession the stakes are very high, clearly Ireland can not continue its breakneck, hell for leather unsustainable growth and a new model of development is needed."