Blog Archive
Join our 2022 Learning Hub
Posted on January 27, 2022 by Emma-Jayne Geraghty
We’re delighted to announce that we’ve a new series of Learning Hub events kicking off soon! We’ll be using films, eco-poetry, graphic design, books and more to delve into how the arts affect activism, community energy, climate anxiety and campaigning against new gas.
The first two events of this new series, “Speaking the Predicament” will take place on Monday 7th February and Monday 21st February, both running from 6pm to 8pm. In these interactive sessions, we’ll explore film screenings, shared reading and open dialogue as practices that can help to build resilience, clarity and purpose. You’ll need to register for our new Learning Hub Series to join these events and other workshops in the series.
Click here to register for our 2022 Learning Hub Series
Permanent link | Categories: activism • Learning Hub • Education
Reflections on COP26 - with some resources to watch and read
Posted on November 18, 2021 by Emma-Jayne Geraghty
I’m back in Ireland after my trip to Glasgow for COP26 with 16 year old youth activist Amy O’Brien. What a trip it was. We left Glasgow full of mixed feelings and emotions.
Rage as the leaders of rich countries continue to refuse to do their fair share, turning their backs on the poorest of the world - who face a crisis of COVID 19, rising inequalities and climate apartheid.
Heartbreak for the 138 developing countries, representing 5 billion people, whose proposal for a Loss and Damage Finance Facility to help deal with devastating climate impacts was blocked by rich countries like the EU, US and UK.
Permanent link | Categories: activism • climatechange
My experience at COP26 - some reflections from youth activist Amy O'Brien
Posted on November 17, 2021 by Guest Blogger
A guest blog by youth climate justice activist Amy O'Brien (she/her) who travelled to COP26 with our Head of Movement Building, Emma Jayne Geraghty. Amy reflects on her experience in Glasgow during the Climate Talks.
I travelled to Glasgow for COP26 by ferry and trains, I was fortunate to also have a very central hotel as well. Many activists slept on people’s floors and often travelled each day from Edinburgh; if they could make it at all. I loved the autumnal train journey through the valleys of England and Scotland, there was a beautiful view of nature from my seat!
Permanent link | Categories: activism • climatechange
Update on Climate - the Climate Law kicks in
Posted on November 05, 2021 by Oisín Coghlan
The start of an urgent, radical transformation
What is really exciting for our climate campaigning in recent weeks has been to see the new climate law we campaigned so long and so hard for begin to have an impact. The law has teeth and it has begun to bite.
The law puts the new target of reducing emissions by 51% by 2030 on a statutory footing. The new Climate Action Plan has just been published too, which should act as a roadmap to guide Ireland in reaching this target. That’s the plan we all made submissions on back in May.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • Autumn Newsletter 2021
Update on our Learning Hub
Posted on November 05, 2021 by Deirdre Duff
Our Learning Hub is a carefully curated space for discussion, critical thinking, peer education and building a sense of solidarity.
We run webinars and workshops that are loosely based on themes emerging from books we have chosen as Learning Hub “core texts”.
Our current books are:
- Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future by Mary Robinson.
- Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move by Reece Jones.
- On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein.
- Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit
Permanent link | Categories: activism • Learning Hub • Education • Autumn Newsletter 2021
Update on Movement Building - Youth Workshops
Posted on November 05, 2021 by Deirdre Duff
Our movement building circle has been running lots of workshops and events aimed at young people who are interested in climate action and social justice. We’ve also been running a series of youth assemblies for school children, as part of our Solar Schools project - read more about them in our update on Power to the People.
Youth Workshop on CoP26
We collaborated with the National Youth Council of Ireland to host an all day youth workshop on the COP26 UN Global Climate Talks. The workshop brought together young people from across Ireland to learn how the COP Climate Talks work and how young people can make their voices heard. We heard directly from young people who have attended previous UN Climate Talks bringing in Irish, European and international perspectives.
Permanent link | Categories: activism • System Reset • Education
Update on One Future
Posted on November 05, 2021 by Deirdre Duff
One Future is the network of local climate campaign groups supported by Friends of the Earth and Stop Climate Chaos. It is the network to join if you want to deepen your climate campaigning and take the next step after emailing your TDs or signing our petitions. The One Future network will help connect you with other people living in your area who are concerned about climate change and who want to take collective action with other people in their constituency.
Permanent link | Categories: activism • climatechange • One Future • Autumn Newsletter 2021
Update on Sick of Plastic
Posted on November 05, 2021 by Deirdre Duff
Planet or Plastic outdoor exhibition
The Sick of Plastic campaign that we run with VOICE Ireland has brought a spectacular National Geographic photographic exhibition to Ireland.
The exhibition tells the story behind plastic from its invention just over a century ago to its current mass consumption. It deals with how the plastic crisis came about, explores the scope of the problem and looks at how we can each be a part of the solution.
Plastic has revolutionized medicine, extended the shelf life of fresh food and enabled the delivery of clean drinking water to those without it. When used in airbags or helmets, it saves lives. Yet, despite its utility and convenience, plastic is doing terrible damage to the health of our planet.
Permanent link | Categories: activism • Sick of Plastic • Autumn Newsletter 2021
Update on Power to the People
Posted on November 05, 2021 by Jerry Mac Evilly
The energy of the future must be renewable but it should also be community owned! Our Power to the People campaign is focused on making it possible for communities, schools and grassroots organisations to own, generate, use and sell their own electricity.
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy • energy • solarschools • Power to the People • Autumn Newsletter 2021
Update on No New Gas
Posted on November 05, 2021 by Jerry Mac Evilly
No New Gas is our campaign to stop Ireland getting locked into fossil fuel use for decades to come - and to stop Ireland becoming an important facilitator of fracked gas transport around the globe. We’re campaigning to block the development of new fossil fuel infrastructure, such as LNG import terminals that would allow fracked gas to be imported from the US into Ireland.
No New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure - and the looming spectre of data centres
Data centres have emerged as a major threat to Ireland’s climate targets and efforts to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. In the last four years data centres have gobbled up enough electricity to power 560,000 homes. Projections for their future power demands are even more alarming. Urgent intervention is needed. We’ve been raising alarm bells in the media about data centres this autumn, you might like to listen back to our director, Oisín talking about data centres on Newstalk Breakfast here and on Virgin Media’s Tonight Show here.
Permanent link | Categories: energy • gas • No New Gas • Autumn Newsletter 2021
