Blog Archive
Time to raise our voices
Posted on April 09, 2020 by Oisín Coghlan
Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are close to finalizing a joint policy framework as the basis to go into Government together. In the coming days they plan to invite the smaller parties to talk about joining them.
FF and FG are the only parties whose leaders did not sign the One Future pledge for Faster and Fairer Climate Action. The only want to cut emissions by 2% a year when the science says it needs to be at least 8%. We need to bend the emissions curve rapidly, they are content to just nudge it.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy
"This bewildered earth"
Posted on April 04, 2020 by Oisín Coghlan
In this update:
... hope is never dead / until this bewildered earth stops / throwing up roses.
I have to admit that I had never heard of Donegal poet Moya Cannon until Olivia O'Leary read part of her poem "Flowers Know Nothing of Our Grief" in her RTE Drivetime slot last week.
Although written a couple of years ago, it seems especially apt as we huddle at home watching this invisible plague sweep the globe while Spring bursts forth outside our windows.
You can play the 4 minute podcast of Olivia's column, always worth listening to, here. And the full text of Moya Cannon's poem was published in the Donegal Daily on Thursday.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy
What we can learn about climate action from COVID19
Posted on April 02, 2020 by Cara Augustenborg
Guest blog by Dr. Cara Augustenborg,
Co-host of Down To Earth on Newstalk FM and former Chair of Friends of the Earth Ireland
While our planet gets a brief rest from human activity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our former Chairperson explores whether anything can be learned from this experience to support future environmental protection. This week, she chatted with her Down to Earth co-host, Ivan Yates, on Newstalk about what lessons we can learn so far and writes about these lessons in our guest blog.
How is the planet responding to coronavirus?
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • COVID19
How can you talk about Climate at a time like this?
Posted on March 31, 2020 by Aine O'Gorman
How do we think about climate while our government and our health workers are focused on the immediate threat of COVID-19?
The One Future Campaign hosted this webinar last week to explore this question.
When we are all pulling together to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our are society being protected how do we talk about how climate and biodiversity breakdown remains the context for all our collective challenges?
Speakers include Oisín Coghlan, director of Friends of the Earth and coordinator of Stop Climate Chaos, Dr. Sandra Green from Irish Doctors for the Environment, Cliona Sharkey, head of policy at Trócaire and Sadhbh O'Neil, policy officer at Stop Climate Chaos. The discussion is facilitated by Áine O'Gorman, Activism Support for Stop Climate Chaos.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • webinars
Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Ireland Report
Posted on March 30, 2020 by Meaghan Carmody
Friends of the Earth Ireland via its involvement in the Citizens for Financial Justice European project commissioned an independent researcher to investigate fossil fuel subsidies in Ireland.
Permanent link | Categories: energy
What on Earth is going on?
Posted on March 27, 2020 by Oisín Coghlan
I don’t know about you, but my head is spinning.
As someone who has pushed for the climate crisis to be treated like an emergency for 10 years it is weird to sit at home watching what it’s like when our elected leaders actually do take an existential threat seriously.
And thank God they do. The coronavirus is like nothing any of us under 100 years of age have seen in our lifetimes.
Permanent link | Categories: COVID19
Energy Democracy & Community Power Webinar
Posted on March 25, 2020 by Claudia Tormey
Thank you to our panelists and participants for tuning into our webinar 'Energy Democracy & Community Power' yesterday evening.
Cliona Sharkey, Policy Advisor with Trócaire, Paul Kenny, CEO of Tipperary Energy Agency and John Fogarty of Community Power, Ireland’s first community owned electricity supplier joined us for a lively discussion on the question;
How can we build energy democracy in our communities so that everyone has access to community power?
If you missed it, you can watch it back here in the video below.
Join the energy revolution, switch your electricity supplier to Community Power today - click here to make the switch!
For more on Trócaire - click here, and for more on Tipperary Energy Agency - click here.
Permanent link | Categories: energy • webinars
Global Response: Coronavirus versus Climate Change
Posted on March 24, 2020 by Marion Briggs
Guest blog, by Friends of the Earth Chairperson, Marion Briggs.
Notes on the Global Response: Coronavirus versus Climate Change
Like many in the climate change movement, I have been struck by the speed, urgency and depth of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, and wondered why we haven’t been able to translate the climate crisis into the same type of global action. I’m still in the slightly baffled stage, although I am fairly sure that outrage will follow at some point.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • COVID19
Nature Connects
Posted on March 24, 2020 by Claudia Tormey
Thank you to everyone who sent in their photos, connecting with nature, over the weekend.
We didn't get to swim at sunrise together, but we did get to share the experience of connecting with sunrise, sunsets, mountains, trees, birds, bees and flowers with you all through our images.
See a selection of the images shared below.
Eileen Coates -This morning the sun is shining and we feel hopeful.
Kevin O'Farrell - Herons social distancing in Fairview Park.
Margaret Franklin - Sunset in the Midlands, County Offaly
Kate Ruddock - solo sunrise Seapoint
Pat O'Gorman - We don’t know what’s around the corner so let’s enjoy the path
Permanent link | Categories:
We can't meet, but we can connect.
Posted on March 19, 2020 by Claudia Tormey
Our Spring Sunrise Swim is cancelled, but hope is not lost.
Weeks ago, the thought of having to cancel our next sea swim crossed our minds. But our concerns then were because of the storms. Nothing could have prepared us for what we are now living. The world seems like a very different place.
Yes, things are very different. Many of us have turned our kitchen tables into our office. We're no longer meeting in rooms together, but through online video calls. We're fortunate we can do this. Many people cannot continue working, and have little way of connecting.
Permanent link | Categories:
