EU ‘seeks clarification’ over toxic waste site

The European Commission has written to Ireland ‘seeking clarification’ about the remediation work taking place on the hazardous waste site within the defunct steel works Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour. read full story / add a comment

An environmental group has published a commitment from the Irish Government to the European Commission to extend the clean-up of the East Tip at the site of the former ISPAT steelworks on Haulbowline Island in County Cork to an ‘all island’ clean up.

The State is completing the clean-up of a 9 hectare East Tip contaminated waste dump but the machinery is to be removed at the end of the summer, leaving the 11 hectare site of the original steel mill in a contaminated and unusable state. read full story / add a comment

At a meeting in Bonn during the UN climate talks, Climate Case Ireland is launching a website to seek support from members of the public. The website includes a one minute video explaining the legal challenge Friends of the Irish Environment has brought against the Irish Government’s failure to take the action needed to avert dangerous climate change read full story / add a comment

The Macroom and District Environmental Group have published a new leaflet aiming to protect wildlife in Ireland. read full story / add a comment

As printed 2018 edition read full story / add a comment

This is an invitation from the Limousine Mountain to all potential accomplices who oppose the industrial offensive currently taking place under the veil of an ‘ecological transition’. read full story / add a comment

A repost from Green News by Niall Sargent highlight the presence of plastic microbeads in every day products and why they should be banned immediately.

The State must step up its game to tackle plastic pollution in the wake of the UK’s new pledge to eliminate plastic waste by 2042, Ireland’s leading environmental coalition has said.

Launched by Prime Minister Theresa May this morning the 25 Year Environment Plan sets out the UK’s strategy to tackle plastic waste over the next quarter century. read full story / add a comment

“All eyes will now be on what unfolds in Ireland.”

The Irish Government will appear in the High Court on Tuesday (12 December) in relation to its alleged failure to take the required action to avert dangerous climate change. read full story / add a comment

A refusal to release details of the 41 outbreaks of disease on Irish salmon farms reported to Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed’s agencies in 2016 and 2017 is the subject of a petition launched today to the newly established Petitions Committee of the Oireachtas. read full story / add a comment

Almost ten per cent of whales, dolphins, and porpoises examined as part of a new Irish study were found to have plastics in their digestive tracts.

The study ( https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269...5204#! ) published in Environmental Pollution found that 8.5 per cent (45 individuals) of Irish cetaceans tested had marine debris in their stomachs and intestines.

Deep-diving offshore species such as True’s and Cuvier’s beaked whales ingested more plastics than individuals from coastal or pelagic species.

Data compiled from 1990-2015 on cetacean stranding and bycatch in Ireland was analysed in the study, with post-mortem examinations carried out on 528 digestive tracts from 11 species. read full story / add a comment

High Court challenge to Dublin Airport extension to conclude. First case to test new climate legalisation

Today is scheduled to be the last day of the challenge to the new runway proposed for Dublin airport.

The new runway, if built, will significantly increase the capacity of Dublin Airport and lead to increases in Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions. read full story / add a comment

Friends of the Irish Environment is celebrating our 20th anniversary in the High Court which is currently hearing two of our Judicial Reviews as we launch our 20th anniversary €20 fund raiser.

We’re inviting the public to join us and see our challenges unfold. read full story / add a comment

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) joins other religious and development groups in their call for ‎debt relief for hurricane-battered Caribbean islands. read full story / add a comment

Bord Pleanala have, in ’the interests of natural justice’ invited Indaver to respond to observations responding to Indaver’s additional material specific to flight paths and erroneous dioxin figures submitted at the invitation of Bord Pleanala in response to issues exposed at the 2016 Oral Hearing despite Indaver having being given opportunity to answer those issues in depth at the Oral Hearing. Indaver have four weeks from the advice letter dated 5 September to respond. read full story / add a comment

Monday the 24th of September at 5pm is the deadline for making submissions to An Bord Pleanála on the South Dublin County Council & Coillte plans for what is known as the Dublin Mountains Project for the Hellfire Club & Masseys Wood nearby. The plan is one dreamed up by the council and will cost € 19 million of taxpayer money i.e. collected property tax etc for what is basically a bit of a white-elephant project that will damage the environment, limit public access and charge a fee for what is now free and is expected to run at a loss for at least first 3 years, but yet the private contractors running it will be "insulated" from losses. In essence the project will put an valuable amenity that is in public hands effectively into private hands and give them a license to milk the public forever on it. If this gets through, it will be replicated all over the country in that arrogant and greed driven way we are all familiar with from the Celtic Tiger days and again today. read full story / add a comment

Cyclehack Dublin is running a three-day event this weekend to “test new cycling innovations” to improve cycling in Dublin.

“Whatever your background, if you want to brainstorm solutions for improved cycling experience in Dublin and prototype them, come meet other like-minded individuals for a weekend of hacking,” said the organisers.
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There will be an information event in the County Library, Tallaght from 3pm – 6pm on Tuesday 15th August 2017 where Council staff will be available to provide general guidance and answer queries relating to the proposed Dodder Greenway

This has been posted at short notice because it is happening today.

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The 5th deadline of today, 10 August set by Bord Pleanala for a decision on the controversial Ringaskiddy incinerator application has passed and a new date of 12 September 2017 has been set. A decision on this application is now over a year behind the original July 2016 statutory deadline set in order to meet Strategic Infrastructure Planning application guidelines. read full story / add a comment

CHASE have submitted forensic analysis of Indaver’s new material to Bord Pleanala which reveals a starving model man on under 1,000 calories a day in order to meet EU dioxin intake limits, a gross underestimation by over 57metres of the vertical emissions dispersal and associated risk zone to helicopters, comparisons with a helicopter landing base near a UK Naval base that fails to mention that helicopter operations there ceased in 2012, three years before the nearby incinerator commenced operation in 2015, as well as ongoing dioxin discrepancies. The submission period for observations on Indaver’s new material closed on Friday last, 21 July at 5.30pm. read full story / add a comment

Ireland has become the fourth European country to ban hydraulic fracturing (after France, Bulgaria and Germany). On June 28, the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Prohibition of Onshore Hydraulic Fracturing) Bill passed the final legislative stages in the Seanad.

The session included the committee, report, and final stages that took place in the Seanad chamber, where the gallery was full of supporters of the ban. It now requires only the signature of President Michael D. Higgins to become law. This is expected in the coming days. read full story / add a comment