THE DAMAGE CAUSED to the environment by industry is clear: rivers polluted by runoff, trees felled for logging and farmland, bogs drained and harvested, and seas overfished.

The methods that would allow us to restore these landscapes to something close to their former glory are also clear, but balancing that with the way of life of modern humans is anything but clear-cut.

That is the core of the heated debate over the European Union’s Nature Restoration Law. It aims to repair degraded habitats and increase biodiversity through methods like rewetting bogland, improving forest management, and improving farmland diversity.

This debate became divided along party lines and imbued with misinformation. Scientific experts urged for it to be implemented and even expanded, while business lobby groups pushed back.

This week on The Explainer, we’re joined by Lauren Boland, climate reporter with The Journal, to examine what precisely this legislation is all about and why it sparked so much anger.

Do environmentalists think the now-watered-down law will have any impact? And how does Ireland fit into the picture?

The Explainer / SoundCloud

This episode was put together by presenter Laura Byrne, senior producer Nicky Ryan and executive producer Sinéad O’Carroll.

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