Blog Archive
Together, we are irresistible. Let's make law.
Posted on July 13, 2018 by Oisín Coghlan
When we formed the Stop Climate Chaos coalition 10 years ago, our first slogan was "Together, we are irresistible". To be honest with you, I thought it was a bit over-the-top for climate campaigners.
This week showed how wrong I was.
This week's big wins underline the value our work coordinating the Stop Climate Chaos coalition - work we want to be able to continue, but which is now at risk.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange
Oil and Gas Drilling: Add your voice to this petition before it's presented tomorrow!
Posted on July 09, 2018 by Meaghan Carmody
On Tuesday, the Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action will hold hearings on a Bill to ban exploration for more gas off the Irish coast [1]. The Committee has to decide whether to kill the Bill or progress it to the next stage.
Not Here Not Anywhere (NHNA), a grassroots campaigning group working to protect Ireland's coasts from fossil fuel drilling, have been working tirelessly on this campaign for a year, and will be presenting a petiton to the Chair of this committee tomorrow afternoon.
Their petition currently has just over 3,000 names.
Can you help it reach 4,000?
Hildegarde Naughton TD, Chair of the Committee on Climate Action has agreed to receive the petition when the hearing finishes (sometime between 1:30pm and 2pm we understand).
Permanent link | Categories: energy
Plastic Free July Series - Notes from California
Posted on July 09, 2018 by Friends of the Earth
Marion Briggs joined us earlier this year as a volunteer, due to her enthusiasm she quickly became the driving force in planning the Sick of Plastic day of action on April 21st. Marion has since joined our board, a joyful member of the team.
Along with a number of Sick of Plastic campaigners, Marion has taken on the Plastic Free July challenge to try and refuse single use plastics. Spending her Summer back in her hometown in California, Marion shares her ups and downs of trying to live without plastic.
Plastic Free July - Notes from California
Permanent link | Categories: waste • sick of plastic • plastic free july • break free from plastic • zero waste shopping • zero waste lifestyle • plastic free shopping •
Take action now to push the Divestment Bill over the line!
Posted on July 06, 2018 by Meaghan Carmody
This is big.
Next Thursday July 12th, Ireland could become the first country in the world to fully divest from fossil fuels. But the thing is, we need TDs to actually be there to vote. We, those campaigning for progressive action on climate, know how important this is, but the reality is that TDs have lots of other issues to contend with. Unfortunately, they might not show up and vote unless they're asked by their constituents.
Will you take 30 seconds to ask your TDs to be there to vote for a strong Divestment Bill?
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • divestment
Plastic Free July Series, Item 1 - Plastic Free Shopping
Posted on July 06, 2018 by Chloe Healy
We will be posting one article a week in July around ways you can reduce the amount of plastic in your day-to-day life! Let us know how you're getting on on Twitter by using the hashtag #SickOfPlastic.
Written by Chloe Healy
This month is Plastic Free July - a global campaign to create awareness around plastic pollution and to empower people to seek alternatives to single use plastics. The challenge is simple - choose to refuse single use plastics for the month of July and encourage your friends, family, wider community, local businesses and corporations to do the same!
Permanent link | Categories: waste • blog
Tomac’s “1°C Rising” brings the front line of climate change to your coffee table
Posted on June 21, 2018 by Guest Blogger
By Dr. Cara Augustenborg, Chairperson of Friends of the Earth Europe
Back in 2010, when environmental photographer and activist Luka Tomac began the journey of documenting stories from the front lines of climate change, the realities of the crisis were not yet mainstream. Though the harmful impacts of climate change had been known for decades, the understanding of just how fast these challenges will confront people still seemed far into the distant future. Over the past eight years, Tomac, a Croatian native, has visited more than 20 countries to document stories of resistance and solutions to climate change through photographs and interviews of impacted people and communities.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • Luka Tomac • climate change • 1C Rising • Indiegogo • book review • crowdfund
We’ve got a solution to plastic pollution. Help us put it in your TDs' hands
Posted on May 30, 2018 by Guest Blogger
Thanks to our supporters, we’ve been making great progress this year to turn the tide on plastic pollution in Ireland.
Last week, over 2,000 of them emailed the Oireachtas Environment Committee to make sure they didn’t let Minister Denis Naughten water down the Waste Reduction Bill to indefinitely delay a national deposit and return scheme.
Their action resulted in the Committee voting seven to five against the Minister’s amendment and proved that, together, we really can make a difference.
But we’re far from done!
Permanent link | Categories: waste
Act now! Stop Naughten killing action on plastic bottles
Posted on May 18, 2018 by Meaghan Carmody
Laws are rarely simple. We know that from our work pushing through 2015’s Climate Law [1]. Words carry a weight that we rarely see in day-to-day life, with just a small tweak causing a flurrying cascade of consequences down the line.
That’s why our ears pricked up when we learnt that Minister Denis Naughten has been manoeuvring behind the scenes to dilute the wording of a draft law for a deposit and return scheme for plastic bottles and aluminium cans [2]. Naughten wants to change the word ‘shall’ to ‘may’ in the report the Environment Committee is finalizing on the proposal.
Permanent link | Categories: waste
Campaigners are taking the government to court on climate change, and they need our support
Posted on May 07, 2018 by Oisín Coghlan
Friends of the Earth led the campaign for a climate law in Ireland. It was finally passed in the same month as the Paris Agreement on climate action in 2015.
And yet the Government is still dragging its feet. So now our fellow campaigners at Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) have filed an historic climate change lawsuit against the Government, and we need your help to spread the word!
Sign the petition to tell the Government that the Climate Case is in your name.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange
Please call Minister Naughten as he bows to vested interests, scraps latte levy
Posted on April 26, 2018 by Meaghan Carmody
You’re not going to believe this.
Our Minister for Climate Action, Communications and Environment has just rowed back on his commitment [i] to implement a levy on single-use, non-recyclable coffee cups, of which we use half a million every single day.
Permanent link | Categories: waste
