A guest blog by Donald Pols, director of Milieudefensie / Friends of the Earth Netherlands and chair of Friends of the Earth Europe, originally published by CommonDreams
Blog Archive
One Future Local Groups Update
Posted on February 22, 2021 by Claudia Tormey
One Future is a network of campaign groups across Ireland supported by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, of which Friends of the Earth is the secretariat member. One Future groups campaign for faster and fairer climate action within their constituencies and communities by building local campaigns and lobbying local TDs.
Permanent link | Categories: activism • climatechange • newsletter spring 2021 • one future
Sick of Plastic Update
Posted on February 22, 2021 by Claudia Tormey
Sick of Plastic is our campaign in partnership with VOICE Ireland. Together, we are working to empower communities to pressure industry and decision makers to take action on single use plastic.
Despite not being able to take direct action through our Supermarket Shop & Drop’s due to COVID-19 restrictions, Sick of Plastic has remained as creative as ever in presenting fun and interactive ways for people to take action on single use plastics. There are lots of ways to take action, you can start by taking photos of excessive plastic packaging in your supermarkets and sharing it with Sick of Plastic on social media or via email sickofplasticireland@gmail.com to help build the pressure on supermarkets to act.
Permanent link | Categories: waste • newsletter spring 2021 • sick of plastic
System:Reset Project Update
Posted on February 22, 2021 by Claudia Tormey
System: Reset is a Pan-European project that Friends of the Earth is part of. The project aims to build platforms across Europe to bring young people from under-represented communities into multi-level decision-making and build strong, collective visions for a socially just and ecologically sound future.
We have lots in store for System:Reset this year, including a Just Transition Champions Training Programme, which we’re collaborating on with Community Work Ireland. This programme will support youth and community workers to consider how climate justice relates to their practice and support them to engage with and contribute to the implementation of just transition policies and plans. You can apply for this training here at this link.
Permanent link | Categories: activism • newsletter spring 2021
No New Gas Campaign Update
Posted on February 22, 2021 by Claudia Tormey
No New Gas is our campaign to prevent fossil gas lock-in. Its primary focus is on fracked gas, LNG infrastructure and new exploration licenses for oil and gas in Irish waters.
This campaign made exciting progress recently with the plans to introduce a ban on new oil and gas licenses off the Irish coast. In 2017 Ireland banned fracking, which was a ban on onshore extraction in the Republic of Ireland. Now the ban will begin to extend into the offshore, contributing to the struggle to keep fossil fuels in the ground.
Permanent link | Categories: energy • gas • newsletter spring 2021
Faster and Fairer Climate Action Campaign Update
Posted on February 22, 2021 by Claudia Tormey
Faster and Fairer Climate Action is our campaign to achieve our Strategic Objective on climate governance. Much of our work on this campaign is pursued through our coordination and participation in the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition.
In recent months we have maintained our campaign to strengthen the Climate Bill. In December the Joint Oireachtas Committee concluded their scrutiny of the Bill. Their report from the process puts a spotlight on weaknesses in the Bill identified by many experts that came before the Committee, and by Stop Climate Chaos when the original draft was published in October. It makes specific recommendations to the Government on fixing those loopholes before the Bill comes to the Dáil to be formally debated this spring.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • newsletter spring 2021
Power to the People Campaign Update
Posted on February 22, 2021 by Claudia Tormey
Power to the People is our campaign to achieve the electricity-related key results of the Strategic Objective on emissions reduction, by putting citizens and communities at the heart of the transition to 100% renewable power.
We’ve made good progress on our campaign to change the planning regulations to allow solar panels on schools. Two weeks ago the Sunday Business Post reported that planning regulations would be changing to facilitate solar panels on buildings, including schools. We're continuing our campaign for legislation to seal the deal on this and make sure it happens.
Councillors around Ireland have been supporting this too, and both Galway County Council and Westmeath County Council have passed motions recently supporting a change in the planning regulations.
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy • energy • solarschools • newsletter spring 2021
Response to Department of Environment, Climate and Communications Consultation on EU TEN-E Regulation Proposal
Posted on February 18, 2021 by Jerry Mac Evilly
Decarbonising Ireland's energy system is key to meeting our climate goals. This means reducing energy demand, significantly increasing renewables, electricity interconnection and storage, and making sure people and communities are at the forefront of this transition, particularly the most vulnerable. Friends of the Earth is also clear that rapid phase out of fossil fuels is absolutely essential. Infrastructure decisions at Irish and EU level need to reflect these objectives. Decisions we make on energy infrastructure now will have far-reaching impacts on the pace and scale of our decarbonisation.
Permanent link | Categories: energy • gas
Don't let Sir Humphrey hobble the Climate Bill!
Posted on February 17, 2021 by Oisín Coghlan
I wrote last week about some updates on the Climate Bill. I mentioned that 2021 should be the year when Ireland finally gets a new, stronger, Climate Law. I was pretty apprehensive about putting those words on paper - fearing I may be tempting fate!
Well….unfortunately I was right to be apprehensive. The Government is currently making its final decisions on the Climate Law and some alarm bells are starting to ring . Unless we apply strong pressure now, there’s a risk that the Climate Law could be watered down. So can you take this e-action I shared last week without delay? Asking your TDs to ensure the Government listens to the Joint Committee on Climate Action’s recommendations to strengthen the Climate Bill - instead of doing the opposite and making it weaker.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange
13 years is too long for victims of Shell’s oil spills to wait for justice
Posted on February 16, 2021 by Guest Blogger
Justice has finally prevailed for the people of the oil-soaked Niger Delta. On Friday 29th January, after a thirteen-year struggle for redress for lives ruined by oil spills, three Nigerian farmers, supported by Milieudefensie/Friends of the Earth Netherlands, beat one of the world’s most powerful transnational corporations, Shell, in court in the Netherlands.
Across Nigeria’s southern Delta region, people who have never heard of the Court of Appeal in the Hague celebrated with victory parties.
But no victim should have to wait thirteen years for justice. Better laws are needed now to give victims quicker and more effective ways to win remedy.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy
Crunch time for the Climate Law - action time for us all!
Posted on February 12, 2021 by Oisín Coghlan
I’m almost scared to say it out loud - for fear of jinxing things. But here goes anyway….2021 should finally be the year that Ireland gets a new, stronger, Climate Law.
I’ve got to admit, when the draft law was published last autumn I was disappointed. But a huge movement rose up, determined to make this law better. The actions of Friends of the Earth supporters - along with countless other activists, groups and organisations - were immense. Whether you took an e-action, called your TD or took part in the TD Lobby in December, your action has made a real difference.
The Oireachtas Committee tasked with scrutinizing the draft Climate Law really felt our pressure! This Committee has now produced a very good report, with a list of recommendations to strengthen the law. Having this report is a powerful tool in our campaigning tool box. Now we just need to use it! It’s crucial that the Government accepts the report’s recommendations - and addresses some remaining weaknesses in the Bill. So could you email your TDs asking them to ensure the Government does this? The Government will make its final decisions on the Climate Law in the next couple of weeks - so there’s no time to lose!
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • gas
