Recruiting Intern for Young Friends of the Earth
Issued in news on May 02, 2013 at 18:17:00.
Post: Young Friends of the Earth Intern
Organisation: Friends of the Earth Ireland
Young FoE, a youth network within Friends of the Earth, was created in 2009 by and for young people wishing to campaign for environmental justice and sustainability in Ireland.
We are looking for a dynamic coordinator to help us strengthen the network. The successful candidate will be hosted and supported in the Friends of the Earth Ireland office.
Location: Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2
Duration: A 6-9 nine month internship starting on 25 June (negotiable).
Responsible to: The Director, Friends of the Earth
Closing Date for Applications: 24th May
Unburnable Carbon 2013
Issued in publications on April 19, 2013.
This new research from Carbon Tracker and the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at LSE calls for regulators, governments and investors to re-evaluate energy business models against carbon budgets, to prevent $6trillion carbon bubble in the next decade.
Unburnable carbon 2013: Wasted capital and stranded assets has revealed that fossil fuel reserves already far exceed the carbon budget to avoid global warming of 2°C, but in spite of this, spent $674billion last year to find and develop new potentially stranded assets.
"Smart investors can see that investing in companies that rely solely or heavily on constantly replenishing reserves of fossil fuels is becoming a very risky decision. The report raises serious questions as to the ability of the financial system to act on industry-wide long term risk, since currently the only measure of risk is performance against industry benchmarks." Professor Lord Stern.
The carbon budget deficit
Between 60-80% of coal, oil and gas reserves of publicly listed companies are 'unburnable' if the world is to have a chance of not exceeding global warming of 2°C
Climate Justice Begins at Home - what climate justice means for Ireland
Issued in news on April 15, 2013 at 16:17:00.
This event is today, Monday, in Dublin. The event is called "Climate Justice Begins at Home" and takes place at 7.15pm in the Radisson Blu Hotel behind Dublin Castle. Our speakers panel will be Maanda Ngoitiko, a Maasai Pastoralist from Northern Tanzania, Cecilia Kibe Muthoni, the co-ordinator for the Kenya Climate Justice Women Champions, John Brennan, an Irish Organic farmer and Molly Walsh, a Campaigner with Friends of the Earth.
Sustaining Activism's Fire: Caring, Campaigning, Creating
Issued in news on April 08, 2013 at 15:57:00.
Saturday 20th April, 10am - 6.15pm, Mount Druid, Castletown Geoghegan, County Westmeath.
This event is aimed at activists and those interested in the preservation of the planet and seeks to explore the elements that enable sustainable activism at a personal, group and movement level; and to promote an increased awareness of the global and justice dimensions of environmental issues.
Canadian Scientist to speak in Dublin about risks of hydraulic fracturing
Issued in news on February 28, 2013 at 11:53:00.
Friends of the Earth are delighted to be hosting an event on Fracking on Monday the 11th of March with Canadian scientist Jessica Ernst.
The event will take place at 6.30pm in the Smock Alley Theatre, on Exchange St, Dublin 2. You can book you place for this free event here. We are delighted to be co-hosting this talk with No Fracking Dublin and Afri. Jessica, a 55-year-old Canadian scientist with 30 years oil and gas industry experience, is suing the Alberta government and gas producer EnCana for unlawful activities related to hydraulic fracturing. She is in Ireland on a speaking tour that includes visits to areas that will be potentially affected by fracking in the North and West of the country.
Government climate Bill is like "window dressing while your house is on fire" - Friends of the Earth
Issued in news on February 26, 2013 at 16:15:00.
Government climate Bill too weak to deliver low-carbon Ireland
A climate Bill with no targets is like "a compass with no needle"
Friends of the Earth has described the Government's Climate Action Bill, published today, as "window dressing while your house is on fire". Minister Hogan restated today that this Government intends "to deliver more on addressing climate change than any of his predecessors". According to the the environmental campaigning organisation, however, the Bill is simply a rehash of the Fianna Fail / Green Party Bill with all the targets taken out. The draft Bill now goes to the Oireachtas environment committee which will consult stakeholders and report to Government on how to improve the Bill.
Oisín Coghlan, Friends of the Earth Director, commented:
Six Tests for the Government's Climate Change Bill Analysis of stakeholder demands launched at briefing in Dáil
Issued in news on February 20, 2013 at 11:07:00.
Friends of the Earth today launched an analysis of what stakeholders think are the key elements of effective climate legislation. Last week the Government delayed the publication of its draft climate Bill by two weeks. The environmental justice organisation launched its "Six Tests for the Government's Climate Change Bill" to coincide with a briefing for TDs in Leinster House on the threat of climate change locally and globally.
Speaking before the event, Friends of the Earth Director, Oisin Coghlan said:
"The Government seems unsure of the merits of its own Bill and has delayed publication. In the interests of clarity and fairness we're laying out today the six things stakeholders have identified as essential to an effective climate law"
Hogan bringing astonishingly weak Bill to Cabinet tomorrow
Issued in news on February 11, 2013 at 17:40:00.
Climate Bill with no targets and no independent council going to Cabinet tomorrow
Friends of the Earth has reacted with astonishment to media reports that Minister Hogan is bringing a Climate Change Bill to Cabinet tomorrow with no targets and no independent advisory council. The environmental campaigning organisation expressed it's disbelief that Labour ministers would sign-off on a Bill that was so far removed from the Bill the party developed and championed in the last Dáil.
Commenting on developments, Oisin Coghlan, Friends of the Earth Director, said:
"A Climate Change Bill with no targets and no independent advisory council is simply pointless. What's more, Labour ministers know that.
"Just four years ago Eamon Gilmore and Pat Rabbitte launched a Labour Climate Bill with long-term and interim targets, an independent advisory council and which made the Taoiseach responsible for climate policy. Are Labour ministers really going to sign-up now for a Bill with none of those elements?"
"What happened to Labour as the Real Green Party, as advertised before the last election, so proud of their climate Bill? The legislation Hogan wants Labour ministers to approve is much weaker than what the Greens in government managed to get from Fianna Fáil."
Minister Hogan made much of the need to bring the public with him on climate change after the FF/Green climate Bill fell with that Government. His Department ran a very extensive public consultation last year to which over 600 people and organizations responded:
90% of respondents want to see our emissions targets enshrined in national law, not just for 2020 but for 2030, 2040 and 2050.
Over 92% supported the establishment of a body to advise Government and monitor progress.
Minster Hogan will have to explain why he wants to so baldly dismiss the view of the public he was so keen to consult.
Molly Walsh, Friends of the Earth Policy Officer, commented:
"When he took office Minister Hogan was bullish on getting a climate law passed by the end of 2011, modeled on the robust UK Act. He made much of delivering where his predecessors failed. But then, in typical Yes Minister fashion, it seems the officials led him on a merry dance and the vested interests got their teeth into him. This Bill is the result of that pincer movement."
"Having ceded so much of the short-term economic agenda to Fine Gael, we expected Labour to lead on the political and social reform agenda. Climate change legislation is a key piece of political reform, it's the equivalent of the banking regulation we should have put in place 10 years ago."
"Instead of leading it seems Labour ministers sat on the sidelines and let Hogan's officials gut the climate Bill which they had worked so hard on in opposition. If Labour ministers cave at Cabinet tomorrow it should serve as a warning to those working on issues such as legislation for the X case and marriage equality".
Launch Night of Liberia Solidarity Group Report
Issued in news on February 07, 2013 at 12:55:00.
The launch of Liberia Solidarity Group's Report
The Free Trade Trap: Are EU policies trading justice for profit?
Date: February 7th, 18.00 - 20.00
Venue: Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre, 27- 31 Upper O'Connell Street, Dublin 1.
This report will be received by Joe Costello, TD, Minister of State for Trade and Development and launched by Baronness Nuala O'Loan.
Friends of the Earth welcomes re-launch of all-party Climate Change Bill
Issued in news on January 28, 2013 at 13:39:00.
Current Ministers Hogan, Coveney and McGinley backed Climate Bill
A climate bill with no targets is like...YOUR ANSWERS
Issued in news on December 07, 2012 at 00:55:00.
Phil Hogan has promised to publish the Government's draft climate Bill before Christmas. But now he is saying that the Bill will not contain any emissions targets for 2020 or 2050. We need you to make sure he knows that's just pointless. We have an email action that makes the basic argument but we'vre asked you to complete the subject line of the email yourself.
Here are some of the great entries that have been sent already.
The best entry will win a €25 book token.
Phil's fine words in Doha are easy. Real test is the climate Bill at home.
Issued in news on December 07, 2012 at 00:48:00.
Fine words are easy. Binding targets are the real test.
Minister's "three card trick" on finance as we protect bondholders and burn smallholders
"A climate law with no targets is like ..." Competition launched
Commenting on Phil Hogan's speech to the UN climate conference in Doha, Oisin Coghlan, Director of Friends of the Earth said:
Budget Reaction: U-Turn on property tax "monumentally shortsighted".
Issued in news on December 05, 2012 at 17:59:00.
Changes to car number plates a "regressive gimmick"
Changes to car tax and carbon tax welcome
Retrofitting target welcome but measures inadequate
Property Tax
The Government's u-turn on property tax, opting for a market-value-tax rather than the promised site-value-tax is "monumentally shortsighted" according to Friends of the Earth. The environmental justice group claims it contradicts and undermines the Government's plan, reiterated by Minister Howlin today, to retrofit 100,000 homes a year from now to 2020.
The new property tax will penalise householders who invest in insulation and other retrofitting, by exposing them to a higher tax liability. This when there is huge potential for job creation, energy cost-savings and emissions reductions in retrofitting.
D'oh at the Dail
Issued in news on November 28, 2012 at 12:34:00.
A group of Stop Climate Chaos campaigners dressed up as Homer Simpson held a demonstration at the Dáil. The protest was held ahead of the annual UN Climate Change Summit, where Environment Ministers from across the world will meet to negotiate global commitments to act on climate change.
The meeting will take place next week in Qatar in the city of Doha, but according to the activists, it's more like 'Doh-a'!
The action was to highlight the stupidity of the Government being once more on the world stage without strong climate legislation in place at home. The Government are still not getting it on climate change, D'Oh.
Emissions figures release today show strong national targets pay off.
Issued in news on October 12, 2012 at 14:42:00.
No room for complacency as challenges still remain.
Figures released today show a 7% drop in Irish climate pollution. While some of this can be attributed to the economic recession that is not the whole story. The excellent work of a designated authority(SEAI) to tackle energy effiiency in homes and stretch targets for renewable electricity have resulted in significant progress in the sectors related to power generation and home heating.
