Ireland Parliamentary Recommendation: national referendum on rights of nature constitutional amendment

Summary

On December 14, 2023, the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action of Ireland’s National Parliament (Oireachtas) recommended that the Irish Government advance a national referendum on a rights of nature constitutional amendment. This move comes in the Committee’s published review of the Irish Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss Report issued in March 2023 that was referred to the Parliamentary Committee for consideration, who had until December 31 to report back.

The Parliamentary Committee agreed with the Citizens’ Assembly recommendation that the people of Ireland be afforded an opportunity, in a referendum or referenda, to incorporate the rights of nature into Bunreacht na hÉireann (the Irish Constitution). Key recommendations made by the Committee include: “The Government begin the preparatory steps to consider a referendum or referenda to protect our biodiversity through the incorporation of the rights of nature and/or the right to a healthy environment into the Constitution within the lifetime of the current Dáil [the lower house of the Irish legislature], which includes the establishment of an expert group with resources to design and draft the potential question or questions.” (41)