Portfolio

Green News Ireland •

Large-scale peat extraction at Westmeath bog an 'ecological disaster'

One of Ireland’s largest peat harvesting companies stands accused of the unlicensed stripping of peat from a bog at a site in Co Westmeath currently subject to court proceedings. According to Friends of the Irish Environment (FiE), Harte Peat has been excavating wet peat at an alarming speed and scale at the site in Derrycrave, Co Westmeath. Photos taken by the NGO and seen by The Green News show deep excavation of wet peat up to a couple of meters deep at the site on 28 July 2018. Aerial foot
Green News Ireland •

Brexit: UK strategy calls for robust environment and climate regulatory standards

Theresa May’s latest Brexit proposals seek to maintain high regulatory standards for the environment and climate change and claims that she will not let standards fall below their current levels. The proposal also seeks to establish a free trade area for goods between the UK and the EU. Ms May’s Cabinet hopes that this will avoid “friction” at the border, protect jobs and livelihoods, and ensure that both sides meet their commitments to Northern Ireland and Ireland. Environmental groups have p
Green News Ireland •

Fine Gael accused of greenwashing over Green Week campaign

Environmental, conservation and opposition groups have criticised Fine Gael’s environmental record following the announcement of their Green Week campaign. The campaign, introduced on Monday, saw the Tánaiste Simon Coveney TD and several of his party colleagues appear on social media to increase public awareness of climate change and suggest ways to go green. However, critics say that the Government is ignoring its own responsibilities as the country is falling far behind on national carbon em
Green News Ireland •

Oireachtas to set up special joint committee on climate action

Politicians have expressed their support for the setting up of a Special Joint Committee to look into climate change and State action to tackle the issue. A motion brought yesterday by the Minister for Climate Action, Denis Naughten, TD called for the setting up of the committee to take into account the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly. The 17 final recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly are included in its report on How the State Can make Ireland a Leader in Climate Action and inc
Green News Ireland •

Plans to use gas as a transitional fuel is 'flawed', Oireachtas committee hears

The Oireachtas Committee on climate action and the environment concluded its second hearing on the Climate Emergency Measures Bill this afternoon. The Bill seeks to amend the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act 1960 to stop the Government from issuing any new licenses for the exploration and extraction of fossil fuels. Speaking at the hearing, the Department of Climate Action’s Matt Collins said that Ireland will still rely on oil and gas over the next decade. He argued that there is
Green News Ireland •

EU asked to investigate Irish subsidy for biomass burning with peat

An environmental NGO has asked the European Commission to investigative the Irish Government’s decision to subsidise large-scale biomass burning at its peat-fired power stations. In letters to the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Miguel Arias Cañete, and Agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan, Friends of the Irish Environment claims that the subsidy undermines Ireland’s commitments to meeting EU climate obligations. Peat, currently burnt at Bord na Mona’s Edenderry power station and two
Green News Ireland •

New sustainable music festival to debut this August bank holiday in Waterford

A brand-new sustainable music and arts festival will debut this August bank holiday weekend at the Curraghmore Estate in County Waterford. All Together Now (ATN) is being launched by POD, the organisers behind Forbidden Fruit and Metropolis, and will not provide any plastic materials including plastic bottles, bags, food packaging or cups. The festival boasts a stellar line-up including headliners Fleet Foxes, Underworld, Róisín Murphy, Mura Masa and Villagers. It will also offer a weekend of
Green News Ireland •

Climate change may increase risk of fatal car crashes and food safety concerns

A US study has revealed that climate change may lead to an increase in the risk of fatal car crashes and that food safety risks will increase in extreme heat as health inspections decline. The study, compiled by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, examined data on police stops, food inspections, fatal vehicle crashes and food safety violations between 2000 and 2017. The research was conducted by measuring the effect of meteorological conditions on US law enforcement across
Green News Ireland •

New Zealand to plant one billion trees to fight climate change

New Zealand has set a target to plant one billion trees over the next ten years in an effort to fight climate change, provide habitats for native species and enhance natural landscapes. The plan has been boosted by an additional $240 million in funding from the government – taking its cost to nearly half a billion dollars over the next three years. The funding will provide grants to landowners to cover the cost of planting and establishing trees and assisting with forest regeneration. The sch
Green News Ireland •

Calls for more cycling and public transport funding as new transport data released

The Green Party has criticised the Government of failing to connect transport and planning infrastructure following the publication of the Transport Trends 2018 Report. The report sets out developments within the transport sector using the latest available data as the number of people commuting to work grew to 1.88 million in 2016. Two-thirds of this commuter population travel by car, according to the report, with the number of people cycling to work up by 43 per cent in 2016 to 56,837 and con
Green News Ireland •

Media reluctant to link heatwave to climate change, US report finds

A new report suggests that the US media is reluctant to link the current global heatwave to climate change. The report from Public Citizen, a US non-profit, found that between 1 January and 8 July, just over 17 per cent of stories on extreme heat, heatwaves or record temperatures mentioned climate change. Between 27 June and 8 July, when much of the US experienced extreme heat conditions, only 23 of 204 heat-related articles (11 per cent) mentioned climate change. The findings come after over
Green News Ireland •

Unprecedented: The heatwave causing havoc across the globe

Summer 2018 has brought unprecedented heatwaves to Ireland and the UK, with Northern Ireland and Wales recording their hottest June on record. Things have been heating up at home up as the thermometer at Shannon Airport hit 32 degrees, the highest June temperature since 1976. However, this summer’s record-breaking temperatures are not exclusive to Ireland and the UK. Extreme temperatures and associated heatwaves, wildfires and other natural disasters are wreaking havoc from the Arctic Circle a
Green News Ireland •

Councillor calls for stronger enforcement of animal welfare laws in Limerick

A Sinn Féin councillor has called for greater enforcement of animal welfare laws after figures revealed that 90 per cent of horses seized in Limerick so far this year have been put to sleep. Séighin Ó Ceallaigh recently submitted an official question to the Council over the issue, revealing that 118 horses were seized in Limerick so far this year, 107 of which had to be euthanized. “The issue of horse welfare is as big as ever,” Cllr Ó Ceallaigh said. “To put it bluntly, there are 107 dead hor
Green News Ireland •

Earth’s ecological footprint increasing at destructive rate, finds report

Humans are using up the earth’s resources at an increasingly destructive rate, consuming a years’ worth of carbon, food, water, fibre, land and timber in less than seven months. This is the finding of a new study from the Global Footprint Network (GFN) that determined the world’s ecological footprint by adding up all competing demands on resources and infrastructure. The calculations help GFN to determine the so-called Earth Overshoot Day, the date when humanity has used more from nature than
Green News Ireland •

UK incinerators failing to fully publish emission figures, report finds

A loophole in reporting rules means that waste incinerators are failing to publish their full emission figures in the UK, a report by the UK’s biggest anti-incineration network has found. The report, launched by the United Kingdom Without Incineration Network (UKWIN)  at the House of Lords on Tuesday, states that UK incinerators produce the same amount of pollution as 250,000 lorries. The report finds that the industry is hiding their pollution levels and justifies their official figures by ar
Green News Ireland •

15,000 fish killed in suspected chemical poisoning in Tipperary

Almost 15,000 fish are confirmed to have been killed in a suspected chemical poisoning in County Tipperary. Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has launched an investigation into the incident which occurred along a 5km stretch of the Ollatrim River last week. Among the estimated 14,749 fish found dead last week, 10,500 were lamprey, a protected species whose numbers are expected to take years to recover. “The cause appears to have been a chemical agent, possibly a herbicide or pesticide, which has
Green News Ireland •

New Oireachtas committee on climate action holds first meeting

A new Special Joint Committee to examine the State’s action to tackle climate change held its first meeting yesterday. The Committee made up of sixteen deputies and six senators was established to consider the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on How the State can make Ireland a Leader in tackling Climate Change. Fine Gael’s Hildegarde Naughton has been appointed the chair of the committee and Sinn Féin Deputy Brian Stanley will serve as vice-chair. Ms Naughton will bring her experien
Green News Ireland •

Ireland falling behind on environmental Sustainable Development Goals, finds new global analysis

Ireland is continuing to fall behind on its environmental commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a new global analysis has found. The Sustainable Development Goals Index and Dashboards Report compare different nations’ performance on the 17 goals at the centre of the UN’s sustainable development agenda. The SDGs, or global goals, seek to achieve over 150 targets aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all people by 2030. The report is t
Green News Ireland •

Inland Fisheries appeals to anglers to halt fishing during heatwave

Inland Fisheries Ireland has issued an appeal to anglers to stop fishing for salmon as the hot weather and drought conditions are putting additional strain on marine life. The appeal, announced last Thursday, was followed by Irish Water’s expansion of the hosepipe ban from the Greater Dublin Area to the whole of the country on Friday morning. Inland Fisheries is also asking anglers to voluntarily cease using keep nets during this period to avoid causing unintentional distress to fish kept for
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