In the face of figures from the EPA that show we are unlikely to meet our Climate Change Targets and Ban Ki-moon’s call for ‘Ireland to do more to curb Climate Change’ An Taisce is calling upon TDs to put forward amendments to strengthen the Climate Action Bill.

The Climate Action Bill currently going through the Oireachtas is weakly drafted, fails to ensure existing targets are met and further delays meaningful action. The Bill is now scheduled for Committee stage on Tuesday 9th June. An Taisce and other NGOs involved in ‘Stop Climate Chaos (SCC)’ are calling on all TDs to put forward a series of amendments to ensure the Bill contains legally enforceable targets. read full story / add a comment

There has been a ‘Complete breakdown’ of the state’s authority, according to a damning Report from the environmental group FIE.

MINISTER’S DIRECTIONS FLOUTED BY SALMON FARMS

A study of the annual inspection records of Irish salmon farms by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries between 2012 and 2014 has shown a ‘complete breakdown’ of the salmon farm licensing system.

Author of the Report, FIE Director Tony Lowes, said ‘We found there were no provisions for ensuring inspections of the critical mooring components that have led to previous disasters in spite of repeated recommendations by the Minister’s officials in accident reports.

‘When license infringements were identified there was a persistent failure by operators to do anything about them read full story / add a comment

Very serious situation unfolding Farmed salmon have been dumped on Spiddal beach near the pier some of which have tags from a Salmon Farming Company. This is reminder of the 2003 documentary by RTE highlight criminal activities on salmon farms where diseased farmed salmon were buried in bogs . I guess nothing has changed in this filthy industry read full story / add a comment

Latest issue of the Shale Gas Bulletin Ireland is now available online. The contents for this month are:

1. Irish EPA study on fracking impacts led by company involved in fracking
2. Oklahoma recognises link between earthquakes and fracking wastewater injection wells
3. Scientists warn 75% of known fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground read full story / add a comment

Irish animal protection groups are shocked to learn from FOI reports that the National Parks & Wildlife Service, following "discussions" with Arts & Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys, decided not to sanction two coursing clubs for clear breaches of license conditions that supposedly apply to the holding of all coursing events, and that she gave them the green light to continue coursing hares during the 2014/15 season, despite what the NPWS officials referred to as the “seriousness of the incidents at these meetings”. read full story / add a comment

The Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports (CACS) has issued this statement, dated April 8th, 2015:

We are alarmed at the news that hares are now EXTINCT on Dublin Bay’s North Bull Island, one of Ireland’s most important nature reserves and coincidentally one that for generations had been almost synonymous with the iconic Irish Hare.
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The Environmental Pillar is calling on the government to strengthen the Climate Bill in light of sharp criticism for lack of action.

The Environmental Pillar, which is made up of 28 Irish environmental NGOs, is calling on TDs and Senators to amend the Climate Bill.

Today a European Commission working document was published which described Ireland’s climate change commitments as ‘insufficient’.

The EC Country Report Ireland 2015 working document states:

“No progress was made in identifying how Ireland commits itself to meeting its existing, binding climate and energy targets for the period up to 2020 in an integrated way and how best to use the earmarked, available EU support for the structural development needed in the different areas.” read full story / add a comment

Shell protester given suspended sentence after Pullathomas protest read full story / add a comment

On the day that an alliance of animal welfare and conservation groups protested outside the office of main sponsor of the National Hare Coursing event, independent socialist TD for Dublin North, Clare Daly, confirmed that she was drafting a Bill to abolish the cruel so-called “sport” of hare coursing.

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The Environmental groups which support the ‘Boycott Farmed Salmon campaign at Christmas’ have welcomed Slow Food international’s declaration of its opposition to intensive open pen fish farms.

‘Give a Gift to the Environment – Boycott Farmed Salmon’, was launched in 2012 and last year picketed the Irish Good Food Ireland Awards, where farmed salmon featured on the evening menu.

Friends of the Irish Environment, who coordinate the campaign in Ireland, have welcomed Slow Food’s unequivocal statement. Piero Sardo the President of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity confirmed that ‘Slow Food does not consider open net pen fish farms an environmentally sound practice’. read full story / add a comment

The High Court has been asked to require the Information Commissioner , Peter Tyndall, to rule on Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney’s refusal to release the accident Report on the escape of 230,000 salmon in Bantry Bay last February.

Friends of the Irish Environment have asked the Court for an ‘order of Mandamus’ requiring the Commissioner to hear an appeal of the Minister’s refusal.

Alex O’Donovan, Secretary of Save Bantry Bay [SBB] said that after the official count on 19 February 2014 they understood that the farm had been ‘virtually wiped out’.

However Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney refused to release the report on the grounds that it was an 'internal communication' and that the public ‘interest would not be served by the disclosure’. read full story / add a comment

MANILA, Philippines-- Climate change advocates from various sectors urged world governments to “walk their climate talk” as they launched the Climate Walk, dubbed as “A People’s Walk for Climate Justice.”

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Corruption and incompetence rule in certain corridors of Dublin City Council. Coventa the company which somehow won the tender (despite not being a party to the bidding) and Dublin City Council have pushed the cost up to nearly €100 million for the land. Council Manager Owen Keegan said not one cent of the €96 million that has already been spent will be clawed back if the plan doesn't go ahead. Despite also as extra €36 million in extra costs many Councillors state that this whole thing has nothing to do with mad ideas from Bertie Ahern. Even if it does not go ahead it will still cost €600 million, and obviously this is the best interests of every else abroad who likes to sabotage Irish planning and make a few million doing so. Renewable energy is the future but not for the old school chums of yesteryear. read full story / add a comment

Press Release - Woodland League

The public amenity forest at Gougane Barra, co Cork has been clear-felled for no good reason. This is
the claim of an internationally renowned Irish tree-scientist and a number of Irish NGOs.
In January 2014, Coillte, the Irish Forestry Board, contended that ‘sudden oak-death’ (Phytophtera
ramorum) had infested the veteran larch trees in the forest and that urgent clear-felling was essential.
Documentary evidence purporting to support this assertion dated July 2013 has been branded tenuous
at best by Diana Beresford-Kroeger the renowned Irish tree-scientist who saw no sign of the disease
while filming in the forest in August of that year. read full story / add a comment

Belcoo was awoken at 5 in the morning on the July 21st to the invasion of Tamboran.
It wasn't until later that morning that the frackers had the 'courtesy' to send local residence notice of their occupation of a nearby quarry. Immediately a demonstration outside the quarry gates was organized for that evening.
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Good Energies Alliance Ireland (GEAI) views the latest developments where preparations for shale gas exploratory drilling has begun in Belcoo as a National, not local issue.

Dr Aedin McLoughlin, Director GEAI, expressed extreme dismay. “Make no mistake about it – any exploratory drilling, with or without hydraulic fracturing, is part of the overall fracking process,” she said. “An exploratory well without hydraulic fracturing leads to more wells with “test fracks”, leading to full fracking as shale gas is extracted. In Belcoo, the first stage is starting, with the industry bleating their mantra, “This is only drilling, it’s not fracking!” When is fracking not fracking? When the industry wants to hide what is obvious – that a good result from this first exploratory well could lead on to more wells and more wells and a full-scale fracking operation with all its environmental and social issues.” read full story / add a comment

Disturbing discoveries relating to glyphosate—the active ingredient in Monsanto’s broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup—keep emerging. No less than two shocking discoveries recently went public on the same day...

Earlier this month, groundbreaking research was published detailing a newfound mechanism of harm of the chemical.

Now, testing shows that people in 18 countries across Europe have glyphosate in their bodies1, while yet another study reveals that the chemical has estrogenic properties and drive breast cancer proliferation in the parts-per-trillion range2. As reported by GreenMedinfo.com:

“Does this help explain the massive mammary tumors that the only long term animal feeding study on Roundup and GM corn ever performed recently found?”

Meanwhile, a new EU-US free trade agreement3,4 known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), has again cracked the door open for genetically engineered (GE) crops and foods into Europe.

This may effectively negate the hard work Europeans have done to limit the proliferation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their food supply, and with genetically engineered “Roundup Ready” crops and the food made from it come increased glyphosate exposure... read full story / add a comment

On Friday the 11th July, people started gathering for the art weekend in which murals and new campaign banner and signs were prepared. Straight away work on the house with the mural “The struggle goes on” was started along with the sign on the roof which reads “Strength in Community”.

Saturday wasn’t suitable for outside work so after a fair while designing what the signs should say, work commenced at a shed which we were kindly given the use of for the weekend. read full story / add a comment

PRESS RELEASE - FRIDAY 11 JULY 2014 - ACCIDENT REPORT REFUSED

Simon Coveney has refused to release the Department’s Report on the loss of 230,000 salmon in Bantry Bay last February.

His decision claims that the work is not completed and that the public interest would not be served by the disclosure of the Department of Marine’s Engineering Division report.

The storm on February 1, 2014, saw a cage break loose from its mooring and upend itself into another cage at Gerahies.

Alex O’Donovan, Secretary of Save Bantry Bay [SBB] said in March of this year that after the official count on 19 February 2014 they understood that the farm had been ‘virtually wiped out’.

Minister Simon Coveney subsequently confirmed the loss of 230,000 Salmon in the extreme weather event of 2 February 2014.

Despite repeated requests, Friends of the Irish Environment [FIE] and Save Bantry Bay have been refused the Report, breaking Minister Coveney’s previous precedent of releasing such documents regarding salmon farm escapes. read full story / add a comment

(An article on the protest in Brazil against the World Cup, aswell as a small campaign in the southern most host city, Curitiba, about the #CheerForPeace project which is working with communities in the cities most central favela Vila Torres)

The eyes of the world focus on Brazil

Today the 2014 FIFA World Cup begins in Brazil, who knows how it will go. Will it be a success, or not? Will they have the stadiums finished in time, or not? Will it be interrupted by violent protests, or not? Will it be a positive thing for the country, or not?

We already have, what has quick become, an iconic image of where much of the feelings in Brazil rest at present. Brazilian artist Paulo Ito posted this mural on the doors of a schoolhouse in São Paulo’s Pompeia a few weeks ago.
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