Environmental Pillar

Although reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are the primary driver for bioenergy policies, the full life cycle emissions of forms of different bioenergy are not yet fully understood but are known to vary dramatically. Even where biofuels are grown on land already in cultivation, this can lead to the displacement of food crops and other […]

Environmental Pillar calls on the Government to reassess badger culling for TB control in cattle 23 April 2013: The Environmental Pillar, a coalition of 26 national environmental groups in Ireland, is calling on the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, to reassess the logic behind badger […]

10 April 2013: The Environmental Pillar, a coalition of 26 Irish environmental organisations, is calling on Minister Hogan to show leadership in improving air quality across the EU during the Irish presidency period. This call comes in the lead-up to an Informal Council of EU Environment Ministers in Dublin on Monday 22 April, when Minister […]

Re: Upcoming discussion on “air quality and urban environment” during the meeting of the Informal Council of European Union’s (EU) Environment Ministers of Monday 22 April 2013 9th April 2013 Dear Minister Hogan We are writing to you in view of the upcoming Informal Council of EU Environment Ministers of Monday 22 April to ask […]

20 March 2013: The Environmental Pillar is calling on the Government to reverse its plan to sell public forest assets. Andrew St Ledger, a spokesperson for the Environmental Pillar, said, “This plan makes no sense on economic, social or environmental grounds. There are multiple benefits to be had from extending our woodlands; these include carbon […]

8 March 2013 Fracking could accelerate climate change, destroy communities and landscapes, and prevent creation of sustainable employment and that is before we look at the impacts of the technology itself. “No good doctor would try to minimise the symptoms of a disease, without looking at the overall health of a patient,” said Charles Stanley-Smith […]

This research should not just be aimed at answering the question: can we undertake Fracking in Ireland without causing environmental damage here, and without increasing Ireland’s Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. The research should also address the question of the environmental impact of the extraction of global shale gas reserves for the agreed target of […]

Protected nature sites give great value for money, says new study The economic benefits of the Natura 2000 Network   7 March 2013: The Environmental Pillar welcomes the findings of the EU study on the financial return to society of investments in the protection of sites that are designated as important for nature (Natura 2000 sites). […]

Click here to download the Environmental Pillar’s Policy Statement on Genetically Modified Crops in Ireland March 2013 (Posted on March 4, 2013) 4 March 2013: The Environmental Pillar, a coalition of 26 national environmental groups, today called upon the Government to place a 5-year moratorium on the growing of any genetically modified (GM) crops in […]

Environmental Pillar press release 27 February 2013: The news that NAMA has been told that it is required to give the public access to information on the environmental aspects and impacts of its activities was greeted as a victory for environmental democracy by the Environmental Pillar, a coalition of 26 national environmental NGOs. “Instead of […]