The Green News

17/05/2024

There are many reasons behind the decline in biodiversity – intensive agriculture, urbanisation, over development and development in sensitive areas, habitat destruction, wildlife crime, invasive alien species, excessive consumption, pollution and climate change. In many ways, we have become disconnected from the natural world. We see it but we don’t see the damage we are inflicting on it.

By bringing communities together nationwide, not only celebrates nature but inspires people to protect and enhance it.

Ciaran Brennan Nature is on its knees – globally and here in Ireland. Five years have passed since Dáil Éireann declared a national climate and biodiversity crisis. Since then, we’ve had a Citizens’ Assembly on Read more…

12/04/2024

Collapse of Hen Harrier population underlines urgent need for habitat restoration on island of Ireland.

Northern Ireland’s hen harrier population has dropped by 26% in 7 years. The devastating news should come as no surprise as it mirrors the collapse of the species South of the border where the population has declined by 33% since 2015.

The Hen harrier and other threatened species on our shared Island don’t recognise borders. Governments on both sides of the political divide must ensure that borders are irrelevant for wildlife by working together to restore nature. https://greennews.ie/collapse-of-hen-harrier-population-underlines-urgent-need-for-habitat-restoration-on-island-of-ireland/ (photo: Mike Brown)

19/02/2024

Threads of Transparency – What happens to a lot of your old clothes when you recycle them? Solene Schirrer from Voice Ireland dives deep into the world of textile recycling to uncover the fate of some of our discarded clothes.

What happens to a lot of your old clothes when you recycle them? Solene Schirrer from Voice Ireland dives deep into the world of textile recycling to uncover the fate of some of our discarded Read more…

18/01/2024

Nature knows no borders - diverging environmental regulation and policies north and south could have a negative impact on efforts to protect and enhance the shared landscapes, water sources, flora and fauna

Dummy’s Lough, two kilometres northwest of Clones in Co Monaghan, looks like any other lake in rural Ireland. It is one of four lakes in the Kilroosky Lough cluster, nestling in farmland and surrounded by Read more…

16/01/2024

COP28 – Pass or Fail? The year closed with COP28 being hailed as the beginning of the end of fossil fuels. Theresa O’Donohoe from Feasta, the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability, who was at the conference, casts a critical eye on two weeks of negotiations, reflects on the outcomes and looks to the future. https://greennews.ie/cop28-pass-or-fail/

29/11/2023

A coalition of Ireland’s leading environmental NGOs has strongly criticised the government for failing to publish key legislation that would protect Irish seas and help tackle the twin climate and biodiversity crises - Fair Seas Coalition deliver 11,758 signature petition calling for urgent legislation https://greennews.ie/fair-seas-coalition-deliver-11758-signature-petition-calling-for-urgent-legislation/

28/11/2023

There has been a lot of commentary around the Nature Restoration Law 🌳. The Green News cuts through the noise, mis-information and distraction to focus on what the law actually proposes, particularly in relation to the confusion around rewetting https://greennews.ie/nature-restoration-law-cutting-through-the-noise/

10/11/2022

New public survey from Fair Seas shows strong support for more legal protection of Irish marine environment.

Four out of five want additional protection for Irish coastal waters and oceans.   There is strong support for more legal protection for Irish waters according to a coalition of Ireland’s leading environmental non-governmental organisations Read more…

09/11/2022

Reporting from COP27 in Pakistan, Rosalind Skillern talks about the defining issue coming through from this years Conference.

You may recall the plea ‘to keep 1.5 alive’ from last years COP26. This 1.5 goal refers to the target of keeping the earth’s warming below a temperature rise of 1.5 degrees, and in line Read more…

10/10/2022

The Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss is underway! Donal Griffin from Fair Seas takes a look back at the first meeting of the assembly in May, and outlines their own submission suggestions to the Assembly.

In May earlier this year, within the walls of Dublin Castle, a very special meeting took place. Chaired by Dr. Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, 99 Irish Citizens gathered to learn about biodiversity loss in Ireland, and Read more…

06/10/2022

With the wonderful news that basking sharks now have full legal protection in Irish waters, we take a look at the extent of protections that we need in place in order to restore critical marine habitats.

18 FOLD INCREASE IN MARINE PROTECTED AREAS NEEDED TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS Ireland’s Marine Protected Areas must increase 18-fold by the end of the decade in order to restore critical habitats, safeguard Read more…