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 .
Friends of the Earth appeal to Electric Picnic-goers to keep Stradbally clean and bring camping gear home.
Issued in news on September 03, 2017 at 19:18:00.
Friends of the Earth had a strong presence at Electric Picnic for the third year in a row with 150 Green Messengers on hand to divert as much waste as possible from landfills and incinerators into recycling and composting facilities. Their efforts included running a popular Deposit Return scheme with Festival Republic adding a refundable deposit onto the price each drink that can be redeemed at any one of their three refund points. But the environmental organisation is keen to carry on the momentum of all that good work through Monday as people pack up and make for home.
Leo urged to ‘Let There Be Light’ from Electric Picnic 2017
Issued in news on September 01, 2017 at 08:08:00.
Leo signed petition for ‘a fair payment for solar’ at Electric Picnic last year
With the Government due to publish its new plans for renewable electricity any day now, Friends of the Earth is bringing its “Run On Sun” campaign back to Electric Picnic. Last year, Leo Varadkar was one of 6,000 festival goers who signed a petition for a fair payment for solar electricity. This year, Picnicers will be petitioning Leo to follow through and use his new-found power as Taoiseach to “let there be light”.
Commenting, Friends of the Earth Director, Oisín Coghlan, said:
New Research Shows Residential Solar Power Offers Win-Win
Issued in news on August 29, 2017 at 23:36:00.
Government renewable energy scheme must include support for household solar power
New research by climate policy expert Joseph Curtin has found that solar panels on homes and businesses can make a significant contribution to Ireland's switch to clean energy. The cost-benefit analysis was commissioned by Friends of the Earth in advance of the Government's new support scheme for renewable electricity, which is due to go to public consultation in the coming days. The study finds that support for solar power on 50,000 homes can be done at a reasonable cost and in a fair way, and addresses a number of concerns about small-scale solar. Friends of the Earth says it means the Taoiseach and the Minister for Environment must keep their promise to support solar power for ordinary citizens not just big business.
48 Hours to Save Our Rivers ... And it'll take you less than 5 minutes to do your bit.
Issued in the blog on August 29, 2017 at 01:27:00.
Ever wonder how clean our rivers and lakes really are?
The bad news is only half our waterways and bays are in good ecological health.
Tell the Government we must do better than this.
What's worse is that the Minister Eoghan Murphy's draft River Basin Management Plan is really weak: over the next three years, he only intends to clean up about 10% of our failing waters.
The public consultation closes on Thursday at 5.30pm. We've made it really easy for you to tell the Government we must do better than this. We need a robust and ambitious plan to protect our waters from pollution and degradation – for nature, for communities, for tourism, and for everyone who enjoys a splash!
