The focus on the fragile state of our planet in 2021 was extraordinary...

...It really feels like we’ve reached a point where there is almost universal acceptance that extreme damage is being done to our planet, and that we need to act fast.

Yet despite this, the outcome of the COP26 summit was deeply disappointing...

One of the glaring omissions at the COP talks was any serious conversation about addressing the role of corporations. A 2017 Carbon Majors Report found that just 100 companies, including the largest oil, coal and gas firms, have been the source of more than 70 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988. The report was produced by CDP, a London-based environmental non-profit, in collaboration with the US-based Climate Accountability Institute, a research and education organisation.

When you consider this finding, it is clear that we cannot address the climate crisis without also addressing the issue of corporate accountability.

In recent years, there has been a global rush for natural resources, and some corporations are trampling on people’s rights and destroying the environment in the process. Mining activities are poisoning rivers. Huge swathes of rainforests are being cut down in the pursuit of land and timber. Our precious natural resources and fragile biodiversity are being devastated by certain corporate activities.

Most of us in Ireland have become deeply uncomfortable with the idea that the products we buy, such as the gadgets and garments might be contributing to climate change and exploitation around the world. Indeed, the Irish public wants to see stronger laws to tackle the issue of unethical and unaccountable corporations. A recent Ipsos/MRBI poll showed that 81 per cent of Irish people support stronger laws on corporate abuse...

Those on the frontlines of the climate crisis, such as land and environmental defenders, are already being attacked. A total of 227 defenders were killed in 2020, according to Global Witness, an international NGO.

Yet the tide may be turning. Countries such as France, Germany and Norway have introduced laws in recent years which require companies to look at their global supply chains and address human rights and environmental damage. The EU is also currently looking at introducing similar legislation.

This year, Ireland would do well to step up and follow suit, by introducing a strong corporate accountability law. Such legislation could prevent pollution and exploitation, and protect some of the most disadvantaged communities in the world. Although we are a small country, given we are a major hub for multinationals, our impact could be far reaching.

If Ireland introduces new rules for business to address damage to our planet, we could stand together with the indigenous communities who are trying to protect their rivers, their land, and their forests from pollution. They are already protecting all of us by defending the natural resources that we all depend upon. It’s time for us to step up and act.