July 17th, 2019 A challenge to new peat regulations exempting industrial-scale extraction from the need for planning permission was heard in the courts this week. The case brought by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) was heard at a High Court sitting in Cork on Monday, with Mr Justice Garret Read more…
July 17th, 2019 Conservation and environmental groups have welcomed a “good day for nature” as the Minister for Heritage shelves a controversial change to the laws on hedge-cutting. Josepha Madigan yesterday announced that she will not proceed with new regulations that would have allowed for roadside hedge cutting this August Read more…
July 16th, 2019 Over 100 of the world’s major cities will experience climate conditions that do not currently exist on the planet today by 2050, scientists have found. The new study in PLoS ONE analysed 520 of the world’s major cities to see how their climates will look by mid-century Read more…
July 16th, 2019 The Minister for Heritage has announced that she will not proceed with regulations that would have allowed for roadside hedge cutting this August on a trial basis. Josepha Madigan said that she made the decision in recognition of the need to protect Irish nature and biodiversity. Hedge Read more…
July 16th, 2019 An Taisce has raised concern over the potential environmental impact of woody biomass imported from Australia by Bord na Mona for use at co-firing trails alongside peat at ESB’s two Midlands power stations. According to Bord na Mona, it will receive a shipment of 37,000 tonnes of Read more…
July 12th, 2019 A reformulated carbon tax that supports low-income households and helps fund the low carbon transition could be the “ideal robin hood tax”, an Irish climate expert has said. Speaking at an Oireachtas briefing yesterday chaired by the Green Party’s Eamon Ryan, Dr Cara Augustenborg said that the Read more…
July 12th, 2019 The Minister for Climate Action has rejected criticism from the Irish Petroleum Industry Association (IPIA) over plans to finance the €500 million Climate Action Fund using oil levies. Last year, the Government announced that the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) levy would be re-purposed so that any Read more…
July 12th, 2019 An Irish environmental group has raised concerns with the Government over possible cross border impacts from proposed fracking operations in the North. Friends of the Irish Environment contacted the Department of Planning last week on the closing day of a public consultation in the North for an Read more…
July 10th, 2019 Deputy Brid Smith and Leo Varadkar clashed yesterday over “cup of coffee” lobbying of one of the Taoiseach’s advisors by the oil and gas industry about her stalled Bill to block new exploration licences. The fiery exchange occurred at Leaders’ Questions yesterday over an unrecorded meeting between Read more…
July 9th, 2019 Ireland’s leading amateur nature and wildlife photographers were celebrated at the launch of Ireland’s Biodiversity Photographer of the Year exhibition today. Over 350 entries were received for the annual photo competition as part of National Biodiversity Week (NBW) which took place in May to celebrate Irish biodiversity Read more…
