‘Much of mainstream politics ignoring crises of war and climate change, President Higgins says

He said the global war machine was in full flight, generating trillions in expenditure while diverting political focus and resources away from issues that desperately needed attention.

“We now find ourselves at a grave position,” he said.

“We are living in times that cast a dark shadow across the world.

“Ours is an era marked by our multiple interacting crises – the spectre of preventable hunger on the increase, the scourge of war, rising inequality, declining cohesion, or the perilous consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss.”

He questioned why there was little evidence of political courage or “social rage” at what was happening.

“To ignore these crises, to avert our gaze, as much of mainstream politics is doing, is a dereliction of our duty of care to our shared planet,” he said.

President Higgins was speaking at a conference to mark the 50th anniversary of Dóchas, the association of Irish organisations working on human rights, aid and development overseas.

He said Dóchas had been formed to bring organisations together and strengthen their voice as a collective.

That voice was needed more than ever, he said, to speak out against the military industrial complex while governments stayed “immorally quiet”.

He also addressed the “dysfunctionality” of current food systems.

“Half of the world’s over eight billion population are defined as malnourished, two billion people are experiencing under-nutrition, over 2.5 billion people consume low-quality diets or too much food, while three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet,” he said.

President Higgins also questioned the commitment of many states to climate action or to standing up to “unaccountable destructive capitalism”.

“The sobering truth is that our planet is in crisis.

“Earth is burning, a result of human economic actions, taken most often by those who wield an unaccountable power in our economies and societies, and with the consequences falling most acutely on the most vulnerable, who are least responsible for climate change.”

The legacy of failing to act on the crisis would be conflict, violence and involuntary migration and displacement.

It included migration “which leads to contested space”, he said.

However, there was still cause for hope, he said.

“The challenges ahead are daunting, but they are not insurmountable.

“I see so many engaged and committed people, people who have the enthusiasm, energy and creativity needed to tackle, with vigour and sustained effort, the challenges that we face.

“There is hope, for we possess the power to make a difference.”

His message was echoed by Dóchas chief executive, Jane-Ann McKenna, who said: “We must redouble our efforts to confront existing and emerging humanitarian crises.”

She said climate change was the “defining issue of our time” and Dóchas organisations had a crucial role in ensuring that Ireland lived up to its climate commitments.

“Without deliberate global policies to accelerate progress, the already devastating impact of climate change will prevail long into the future,” she warned