Taoiseach: Politicians have not taken the biodiversity crisis seriously enough

The Taoiseach said it was a “great mistake of our species to think that we are separate from nature”, adding that the two challenges of climate change and the biodiversity crisis were intrinsically linked

Extinction Rebellion and the Irish Wildlife Trust held a protest outside Dublin Castle on Wednesday. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Political leaders have not taken the biodiversity crisis seriously enough despite ample warnings from environmental experts, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has conceded.

Giving the keynote address at the latest National Biodiversity Conference in Dublin Castle, Mr Martin said it was a “great mistake of our species to think that we are separate from nature”, adding that the two challenges of climate change and the biodiversity crisis were intrinsically linked.