I'm sick of plastic and I want to see action
Issued in campaign actions.
Tell the new Climate Minister to support Waste Reduction Bill!
"The only option was to put my body in between the diggers and the earth"
Issued in the blog on December 08, 2017 at 17:45:00.
A member of Fossil Free TCD went to the UN climate talks in Bonn last month. This is the first of two reports she wrote for us.
I am crouched behind a damp sand bank and can feel my heartbeat in my ears. People shuffle hurriedly in both directions next to me, careful not to slip into the trench behind. I am too terrified to peer over the bank, in case I come face-to-face with a riot cop, and his shield or baton comes crashing into me. I huddle down smaller. Can they see my rucksack over the edge? Someone grabs by elbow violently and I almost shout out - but it is ok. My affinity group is planning our next move. We turn to the hundreds lining the cusp of the pit above, as high up as House 6 from the base: “Which way?” we whisper-scream up at them. “Go left!”, “Left!”, “No cops left!” they shout back, and we are off. Last chance to go back, but we’re up and over and gone. Police far to the right but they’ll never reach us in time. I am running before I know it, and look back for my “buddy” Emma, who has asthma. Her, Tony, and Frodo are close behind. Of course, as it turned out, none of these were their real names.
Our supporters tell us they're sick of plastic. Here's how we plan to help!
Issued in news on November 30, 2017 at 09:56:00.
Recently, we sent a survey to our supporters asking what they thought we should campaign on in 2018 in addition to our work on climate and energy. We got a huge response and really enjoyed reading all the great suggestions. All three campaigns we proposed got a positive reaction, but the overwhelming majority of our supporters told us they were most sick of plastic. So are we!
Friends of the Earth is "appalled" by latest climate pollution figures from EPA
Issued in news on November 27, 2017 at 14:41:00.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today released the figures for Ireland's climate-changing pollution in 2016.
They make for grim reading - with emissions up across the board and a 3.5% total increase year-on-year.
Speaking at the EPA event to publich the figures, Dr. Cara Augustenborg, Head of Science and Communications for Friends of the Earth, commented:
"We are appalled by today's EPA figures for Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions in 2016. Our climate pollution is rising at around 3.5% a year when the Government's own target means they should be coming down by 5% a year.
"Of the handful of EU countries who are going to miss their 2020 climate targets, Ireland is the only Member State whose emissions are still rising.
Coffeeangel tackles cup waste with Friends of the Earth in their new ‘Your Cup Our Future’ initiative
Issued in news on November 06, 2017 at 09:36:00.
As the Irish Government proposes a 15¢ levy on disposable coffee cups today2, Coffeeangel and Friends of the Earth move ahead with an innovative solution to tackle waste from the café sector.
With 2 million disposable coffee cups a day in Ireland going into landfills2, waste from the café sector has reached worrying proportions. Many solutions have been proposed by the industry, including switching to compostable cups. However, disposable "compostable" cups require commercial composting to biodegrade and most end up in general landfill anyway.
A scare in time?
Issued in the blog on November 02, 2017 at 01:30:00.
The scariest thing I saw this Halloween was this new report about carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The last time CO2 stayed this high, sea levels were 20 metres higher than they are today.
But there is hope . Research also reported this week concludes "an energy transformation big enough and fast enough to curb global warming remains within reach. Better still, we do not need to wait for new inventions to implement the changes we need; the transformation can happen right now".
Register now for Mobilise.Resist.Transform. - A 6 week Introduction to Environmental Issues
Issued in the blog on October 11, 2017 at 16:28:00.
**COURSE NOW FULL, PLEASE EMAIL TO BE PUT ON WAITING LIST AND FRIENDS OF THE EARTH VOLUNTEER LIST**
You know the environment is important, otherwise why would you be reading this? Perhaps you have an inkling that it's much more important than most people seem to think...but you don't really know how to articulate the issues. You know the general assumptions of society are at least partly to blame;
- That the climate is changing and it's hurting those who are most vulnerable the most
- That we're plundering the Earth's resources for economic gain
- That we are becoming more and more detached from where our food comes from
- That the amount of plastic we're creating is unsustainable
- That endless economic growth on a finite planet is untenable
- That there is an element of injustice inherent in all environmental and climate issues
Budget completely fails to deliver Taosieach's "new ambition on climate change"
Issued in news on October 10, 2017 at 23:14:00.
"If policy reviews and consultations reduced emissions Ireland would be a world leader in climate action."
Friends of the Earth has described the Budget as a "complete failure" on climate change.
Commenting, Oisin Coghlan, Friends of the Earth Director, said
"On his election as Taosieach, Leo Varadkar said he wanted 'a new ambition on climate change' and Minister Naughten indicated the Budget would deliver climate action. Instead we get a drop in the bucket on energy efficiency, a few baubles on electric vehicles and a review of the carbon tax.
"I'm not sure what planet the Government is on, but it doesn't seem to be one where Ireland has signed the Paris Agreement and committed itself to reducing climate pollution by 80%."
Almost there: 24 hours to save our soils!
Issued in the blog on September 11, 2017 at 02:07:00.
Since I sent the email below on Thursday, about 1000 people in Ireland have signed the official petition to trigger EU action to protect our soils.
We need about 1000 more to fulfil the Irish quota of the European Citizens' Initiative. And we have until midnight on Tuesday (Brussels time!) to get them.
If you've signed already, thank you. Please do tweet this and share this on Facebook to spread the word.
If you haven't signed yet, your support could tip the balance .
Leo, let there be light!
Issued in campaign actions.
Please sign this petition to urge the Government include a fair payment for small-scale renewable energy. Leo Varadkar signed this petition at Electric Picnic last year. But the new draft plan for renewable electricity doesn't include support for small-scale rooftop solar - it's all about big business.
