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The Environmental Pillar welcomes the decision to include environment in the title of Minister Denis Naughton’s Department.   However the decision to leave National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in another department could lead to the conservation of wildlife and habitats falling off the political agenda.   The title of the new department will now […]

The Programme for Government lacks the key clear goals we need to move our people and economy forward into a post carbon future.   The Environmental Pillar, an advocacy coalition of 28 Irish national environmental NGOs, does not believe that the Programme for Government goes far enough in tackling climate change and will force increasingly […]

The loss of a department responsible for the ‘Environment’ will damage Ireland’s natural environment. A healthy environment is essential to the well-being of the people of Ireland and to a thriving economy.   In the last 20 years Ireland has seen severe biodiversity loss, pressure on and pollution of water resources, and devastating impacts of severe […]

For immediate release  The Environmental Pillar welcomes Minister Alan Kelly’s announcement that the ban on smoky coal is to be extended nationwide. The Environmental Pillar has long campaigned for the nationwide implementation of this ban. Charles Stanley Smith, speaking for The Environmental Pillar said: “So far approximately 8,000 lives have been saved in Dublin since the introduction […]

The Environmental Pillar welcomes the opportunity to input into the draft National Mitigation Plan and looks forward to further input as the plan evolves. The Environmental Pillar strongly welcomes and supports the Ministers commitment to transition to a low carbon future. We anticipate that this will be implemented in a clear, directional robust national mitigation […]

This submission recommends ways of broadening the tax base and using the limited financial resources in a way that focuses on long term sustainability, whilst creating employment and stimulating the economy in the short term. Broadening the tax base can also reduce the complexity of the tax system, compliance costs and the costs of tax […]

Environmental Pillar spokesperson Andrew St Ledger went on air in Today FM and Castlebar Radio to shed some light on the ill effects of toxic fertilizers being used in forests. Click the play button to listen to what Andrew said on air. TODAY FM : CASTLEBAR FM :

Ireland is facing an uncertain future in respect to its antiquated and dilapidated water services infrastructure. Much of our water and wastewater infrastructure dates back to the Victorian age with many aging and leaky water and sewerage pipes in addition to many of our inadequate drinking water and waste water treatment plants. This legacy leaves […]

Michael Ewing, Coordinator of the Environmental Pillar, recently spoke at the TTIP Seminar as part of the IMPACT Divisional Conference, on 22nd May, 2015.  The presentation emphasised the core issues surrounding TTIP such as the ISDS (Investor-State Dispute Settlement) mechanism, transparency and regulatory coherence, and the main environmental concerns, relating to climate change, toxic food […]

Fuel poverty is a question of the thermal efficiency of housing. In a market, generally the most inefficient housing will be occupied by those with the least purchasing power; whether as house-owners or as tenants. This is the case in Ireland. Therefore eliminating fuel poverty will require the thermal upgrade of the vast bulk of […]

The Environment Pillar is calling for urgent action to protect and restore marine habitats and biota including fish stocks around Ireland.  The Environmental Pillar welcomes the Marine Strategy Framework Directive as one of the key means to achieve this and urges that full timely implementation is now prioritised by government and stakeholders. The Directive provides […]