Posts from "Oisín Coghlan"
Oisín Coghlan has been Director of Friends of the Earth Ireland since 2005. Oisín heads the panel of representatives of the Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership and sits on the National Economic and Social Council (NESC). read more
Help us bring Mr Frackhead to Ireland
Posted on March 09, 2017 by Oisín Coghlan
Over 11,000 people signed the petition urging TDs to progress the Bill to ban fracking without delay. It was the fastest and biggest response to an action we have ever had. Thank you.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy • fracking • bill
One win. One Fight. One Favour.
Posted on January 27, 2017 by Oisín Coghlan
One win ...
Last week we asked you to contact your TDs to ask them to support the Bill to divest state funds from fossil fuels. Yesterday the Dáil voted 90 votes to 53 to progress the Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill to the next stage. This is a real victory for people power given the Government steadfastly opposed the Bill and Fianna Fáil were on the fence right up to decision time.
Read our press release reacting to the historic vote: "This is first real sign of leadership from Ireland on climate action".
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy • divestment
Tomorrow belongs to us
Posted on January 19, 2017 by Oisín Coghlan
Tonight ...
The Dáil debates a Bill to divest taxpayers' money from fossil fuel companies, one of our top demands as part of Stop Climate Chaos.
And it hangs in the balance. We know all the smaller parties will support the Bill. The Government is likely to oppose it. Fianna Fáil are key and have been considering their position all week.
Supporters have been emailing TDs. But what would make the most difference now is a phone call. I called one of my TDs yesterday and it took less that 3 minutes.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy
The Future is Bright ...
Posted on December 22, 2016 by Oisín Coghlan
Yesterday was the shortest day of the year.
It was dark for 16 ½ hours.
Here in Ireland we just flicked a switch to put on the light. And got on with cooking, working, surfing, or relaxing by the Christmas tree.
For 1.2 billion people around the world that’s just not possible. They have no access to electricity. 1 in every 6 people on Earth. When the sun goes down, life gets more complicated: cooking, washing, reading, homework, socializing, safety are all curtailed by a lack of power.
We want to help change that in 2017.
Because the future is bright. The future will Run on Sun.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy
Last night we made history. Now let's make the future.
Posted on October 28, 2016 by Oisín Coghlan
10 days ago we asked for your help to get a Bill to ban fracking over its first big hurdle in the Dáil. You responded like never before, raising money for a legal opinion on the Bill in less than 24 hours. Then 2,500 of you wrote to your local TDs urging them to #BackTheBill.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy • fracking • bill
Taoiseach, it's time
Posted on September 29, 2016 by Oisín Coghlan
The Taoiseach was addressing the Seanad today and a couple of Senators were interested in raising climate change with him. Here's what I would have said.
--
Taoiseach,
Your government has adopted a National Policy Position on Climate Action, underpinned by the Climate Act, that defines Ireland's transition objective for 2050 as an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions between energy, housing and transport, and carbon neutrality for agriculture and land use, in line with the lower end of the EU's emissions goal for 2050. And your Government's White Paper on Energy has a target of reducing energy emissions by 80-95% by 2050, in line with the higher end of the EU's goal, and proclaims a vision of a "carbon-free" future for Ireland.
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy • Enda Kenny
Stop Enda abolishing the Department of Environment
Posted on May 18, 2016 by Oisín Coghlan
On his re-election as Taoiseach, Enda Kenny announced he was restructuring Ministerial Departments to better reflect the new Government's priorities. With that, he promptly abolished the Department of the Environment and scattered its functions across three Departments.
We have very little time to get this decision reversed. If this goes ahead, the words ‘environment’ and ‘heritage’ would be dropped from the titles of any Minister or Department, and Ireland would become the only EU member state without a Minister for the Environment.
We're asking you to do a couple of things:
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy • waste • water • biodiversity
So close: help us raise 800 euro by midnight, last chance to triple your gift
Posted on April 15, 2016 by Oisín Coghlan
Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, we have raised €7,600 for our Community Power Campaign over the last 10 days. That will allow is draw down €22,800 in EU funding.
But there's still €2,400 of EU grant money on the table. To claim it we need to raise another €800, by midnight tonight.
Every euro you give TODAY will be tripled by EU funding.
Our Community Power priorities include:
Permanent link | Categories: energy
Tonight's telly, tomorrow night's cinema and our April Fool's
Posted on April 05, 2016 by Oisín Coghlan
I meant to tell you yesterday about a new TV series starting tonight on TG4 at 8pm about the trees on Ireland (it's repeated on Sunday at 7.30).
It looks sumptuous (see the trailer here) and it's presented by the ever engaging Manchán Magan. Described as a "feast for the senses" it looks like the next best thing to a real walk in the woods.
By contrast, if you're around Dublin tomorrow I'll be talking in the IFI at 6.30pm before a screening of "The Day The Earth Caught Fire" (you can book here). It's the first film in a Science Gallery / IFI season on "How the cinema of the past had imagined our future".
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy
Win tickets to see Naomi Klein in Dublin - and triple your gift to support community energy
Posted on April 05, 2016 by Oisín Coghlan
For the next 10 days every euro you give us will be tripled by an EU grant to support our work on community energy.
We had real success last year in getting the Government to recognize the role of communities in the transition to a zero-carbon energy system. The new national energy policy, the White Paper, launched in December is very strong on a commitment to energy citizens and communities.
Now we need to get the next Government to follow through with the concrete steps to make it happen.
Our priorities include:
Permanent link | Categories: climatechange • energy
