Why do plastics shed tiny particles into our food? Irish scientists have the answer
‘Frozen-in’ stress causes plastic surfaces to erupt into microscopic blisters that jeopardise food safety and environment
oil
Outdated electricity grid planning and weak governance stalls Europe’s transition to renewables, report warns
Grid operators are working to outdated scenarios which do not take account of growth in renewable energy sources, report argues
Irish-founded Tullow Oil faces $1.4bn refinancing headache amid falling crude prices
Shares in the exploration firm have slumped and are being sold off at rates not seen in five years
‘My message is clear for Ireland, electricity is the future,’ IEA director Fatih Birol
Electrification should be overriding priority for Irish economy, industry and society, says International Energy Agency chief
Weakening corporate climate pledges is a symptom of waning momentum
Recent high-profile corporate backtracking from climate commitments shows the fragility of pledges when attention and accountability drift
More than €31bn in fossil fuel investments ‘based in Ireland’
Trócaire and ActionAid Ireland claim carbon footprint of finance bigger than Ireland’s annual emissions
Ireland’s hopes of a net-zero economy are floating in the wind
Separate reports in the past week have poured scorn on talk of the State becoming the ‘Saudi Arabia of wind’ and challenge the narrative that a switch to clean energy will deliver cheaper energy prices to consumers
Rowback is not a policy when clean tech is the only game in town
As geopolitical turmoil reshapes global priorities, climate action is taking a backseat. From corporate rollbacks to political U-turns, a once-urgent transition to clean energy faces fresh obstacles. But in a world increasingly dependent on fossil fuels, delays will only drive up costs—both economic and environmental.
Pope Francis’s green legacy is his radical encyclical Laudato Si’ that upended centuries of Catholic teaching
Published in 2015, Laudato Si’ spoke of our serious moral responsibility to protect the planet
Ardnacrusha at 100: What could happen if Ireland showed similar ambition today and invested 20% of national budget in energy?
Spending €24bn on projects such as upgrading the grid and electrifying transport and heating could transform the nation
Urgent action needed to ‘clear fog’ and progress transition to clean energy
The Nesc findings would be used to inform ongoing work of Government to deliver the transition
The reality of life at ‘just’ 1.5 degrees of warming
While politicians across Europe skirt their climate commitments, millions of people are already at risk from increasingly chaotic and dangerous weather events
Sunk costs in fossil fuel infrastructure could sink us
The greatest cost of new fossil fuel projects may be the missed opportunity to build clean energy
How Donald Trump ripped up US climate action plans
At a Time of Climate Crisis: The US president has been making false and misleading claims on wind energy for nearly a decade
Climate experts warn Government against move to import LNG from US
Letter to Taoiseach follows his assertion Ireland ‘will have to have an LNG facility of some kind’
BP to slash renewables spending in pivot back to oil and gas
Shift follows pressure from activist hedge fund Elliott Management
Move to fracked gas ‘will not give Ireland energy security’, conference told
Mary Robinson warns of power of fossil fuel lobbyists spending $4 billion a year on communications
Widespread ecological damage from oil spills in Niger Delta revealed in international study
Scientists detail scale of devastation to mangroves using satellite imagery, AI and imaging techniques used in healthcare settings
Ireland’s climate and energy security must not be sacrificed to appease Trump with LNG deal - Friends of the Earth
‘Government must not lock Ireland into long-term gas addiction in short-term effort to distract US president’
Trump tariff threat pushes price of oil higher
US president reiterates plan to impose 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico from Saturday
An ominous year: the climate change omens for 2025 look very dark indeed
The problem boils down to one of politics versus populism, as politicians who promote unpopular but crucial policies struggle to be re-elected
Is Trump’s ‘drill, baby, drill’ an empty promise?
Private enterprise controls oil and may not share US president’s enthusiasm for increased production
A year of devastating climate firsts, a dispiriting outcome to Cop29 and elections where climate was off the radar
Ireland heard plenty of ‘eco rhetoric’ in 2024 but there was a clear sense that political leaders have not grasped the reality of the climate emergency
Trump threatens tariffs if EU doesn’t buy more US oil and gas
US is the world’s largest producer of crude oil and the biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas
New government should ensure proposed LNG plant in Shannon estuary does not proceed, Friends of the Earth says
‘It would be highly reckless on climate and economic grounds for the project to be approved in light of latest information’
Tullow Oil in talks to be taken over
Irish-founded business in early discussions with US-based Kosmos Energy
Irish people will die in significant numbers due to rising temperatures, HSE specialist claims
Healthcare is at climate frontline, notably in emergency departments and at primary care level, conference hears
Disappointing $300bn Cop29 deal could yet become a platform for much greater ambition
Financial agreement clearly short of what is necessary to support the most vulnerable countries and communities
Cop29: UAE urges Saudi Arabia and others to honour fossil fuels pledge amid continuing impasse
Unprecedented public rebuke by Cop28 host comes as fuel producers try to derail transition promise made at last year’s talks
Climate summits ‘no longer fit for purpose’ in addressing crisis, say former political leaders and scientists
Large scale of Cops summits now ‘beyond crazy’ says key participant, who could only justify flying to event because of being directly involved in scientific work
Cop29 opens with fossil fuel companies and host country Azerbaijan targeted by protests
Mary Robinson backs call by environmental campaign for oil and gas companies to help pay for climate breakdown
Donald Trump’s return is a blow to global response to the climate crisis
The US president-elect showed himself in awe of the power of Hurricane Helene - but did not dare to consider why that September storm was so destructive
Donald Trump’s biggest danger to the world could be his dismissiveness about climate change
If elected once more, Trump has pledged to remove the US from all international climate accords, which could trigger similar actions among other big nations
Irish greenhouse gas emissions down 2.2% in first quarter, notes EPA
New series of quarterly bulletins to support more frequent monitoring of national and sectoral progress on climate action
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