March 11th, 2020 2019 was the second warmest year on record and finished up with an average global temperature of 1.1 C above pre-industrial levels. The year was second only to 2016, which saw an El Nino climate event contribute to global mean temperature on top of what the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) called, “an […]
March 10th, 2020 A legal challenge to the Government’s adoption of Project Ireland 2040 on grounds of climate change concerns opens today in the High Court. Last May, the High Court granted leave to Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) to challenge the adoption of Project Ireland 2040, a €116 billion plan designed to guide the […]
March 6th, 2020 An Irish anti-fracking campaigner joined other activists, healthcare professionals and NGOs in New York this week to meet UN officials over their concerns with the controversial energy source. Joining residents and campaigners from New York and Pennsylvania on Thursday, Eddie Mitchell of Love Leitrim met with Satya Tripathi, a UN Assistant Secretary-General […]
March 5th, 2020 The European Commission has outlined its long-awaited proposal to enshrine the EU’s 2050 climate neutral commitment in law that critics say is simply too little, too late to avert the climate crisis. The European body argues that the European Climate Law – the heart of the European Green Deal according to Commission […]
March 2nd, 2020 The European Commission has found that the Climate Action Plan could be a “breakthrough” in the low carbon transition in Ireland but only with significant policy and financial support over the coming decades. The Commission’s 2020 Country Report states that the Climate Action Plan is a “much needed breakthrough” as Ireland has […]
February 28th, 2020 Transport infrastructure in Ireland is set to face unprecedented threats in a warming climate, according to a new UN report. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) found that transport in the bloc will face unparalleled challenges both on coastlines and inland. Due to higher levels of precipitation, the report found […]
February 28th, 2020 Last May, TCD and UCD were found cutting trees and hedges on their campuses during the closed period designed to protect nesting birds and other wildlife. Environmental lawyer Dr Andrew Jackson explains why we should all respect the closed period from 1 March to 31 August, and how we can help wildlife […]
February 14th, 2020 Friends of the Irish Environment was yesterday granted permission to directly bring its landmark climate case that challenges the State’s mitigation plan before the Supreme Court. In November, the environmental group lodged two appeals – a direct appeal to the Court of Appeal, as well as an application to ‘leapfrog’ the case […]
February 14th, 2020 The High Court yesterday granted leave to an environmental group to challenge the decision of the State and the European Commission to put forward the proposed Shannon LNG gas terminal for the EU’s list of priority energy projects. Friends of the Irish Environment [FIE] alleges that both Ireland and the EU failed […]
February 12th, 2020 The European Parliament today backed the EU’s list of priority energy projects that includes dozens of gas schemes critics say are incompatible with the bloc’s climate ambitions. This morning, the Parliament voted down a motion – 169 in favour, 443 against – to veto the Commission’s Projects of Common Interest (PCI) list […]
