PRESS RELEASE: Citizens' Assembly must call for referendum on constitutional right to environmental protection

The Citizens’ Assembly must call for a referendum to give a constitutional right to environmental protection to the people of Ireland, says the country’s leading environmental coalition. The Environmental Pillar – a coalition of 26 national environmental organisations – outlined its view in a submission for the Assembly’s upcoming session on “How the State can make […]

PRESS RELEASE: Strict enforcement on hedgerow cutting to avoid further devastation to wildlife and habitats

Immediate Release The Environmental Pillar reiterates that hedgerow cutting remains illegal during the month of August, and calls for stronger enforcement of existing wildlife laws. Ireland’s leading environmental coalition calls for existing wildlife laws on hedgerow cutting to be strictly enforced this month to avoid any further devastation to our wildlife and habitats this year. […]

PRESS RELEASE: Environmental NGOs slam Minister of State's climate speech in New York

Immediate Release The government should focus on its own mitigation efforts instead of offering the false hope of helping poorer countries adapt to climate change through unsustainable agricultural practices, Ireland’s leading environmental coalition has said. The comments from the Environmental Pillar – a coalition of 26 national environmental organisations – follow a speech from Minister […]

PRESS RELEASE: New Seanad Report on Brexit's threat to the environment welcomed by environmental groups

Immediate Release Ireland’s leading environmental coalition welcomes the Seanad’s calls for concrete action to ensure environmental regulation remains rigorous across the island of Ireland in a post-Brexit world. A new Seanad report – Brexit: Implications and Potential Solutions – calls for Ireland to be “considered a single bio-geographic unit” amid fears that UK and EU regulation […]

PRESS RELEASE: Three key budget policies to net over €200m in revenue and protect environment

Immediate Release Leading environmental organisation outlines three key budget policies to net over €200m in revenue and limit environmentally damaging activities. Taxing environmentally damaging practices and giving the money back through investment should be a key initiative of Budget 2018, Ireland’s largest environmental organisation has told the Minister of Finance. In its pre-budget submission to […]

Historic Bill to ban onshore fracking a boost for the global climate movement, says Ireland's leading environmental organisation

Today’s passing of the historic Bill to ban onshore fracking is a great victory for local campaigners and a boost for the global climate movement, Ireland’s leading environmental organisation has said. The Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Prohibition of Onshore Hydraulic Fracturing) Bill 2016 will now move on to the President for signing after passing […]

Press Release: Ireland named & shamed at international awards ceremony for subsidising peat burning

Immediate Release Ireland was among nine countries named and shamed at the Fossil Fuel Subsidy Awards ceremony in Brussels today for the Government’s commitment to subsidise peat burning for electricity generation. Ireland was crowned number one for giving Sneaky Special Treatment to peat-burning at today’s medal ceremony, hosted by Climate Action Network – a coalition […]

Press Release: Right to Know, Right to Act: Your rights as an European Citizen by Environmental Pillar, Co Limerick

Immediate Release The Environmental Pillar will hold a seminar with MEP Liadh Ni Riada this Friday, 28 April 2017 to highlight Irish people’s rights to access information as EU citizens. The interactive seminar – Right to Know, Right to Act: Your rights as a European Citizen – will take place at the Savoy Hotel, Henry Street, Co […]

Press release: Right to Know, Right to Act: Your rights as an European Citizen by Environmental Pillar, Co Cork

Immediate Release The Environmental Pillar will hold a seminar with MEP Liadh Ni Riada this Friday, 28 April 2017 to highlight Irish people’s rights to access information as EU citizens. The interactive seminar – Right to Know, Right to Act: Your rights as a European Citizen – will take place at the Imperial Hotel in […]

Press Release: Draft National Mitigation Plan wholly inadequate to tackle climate change, say leading environmental organisations

The Government’s long overdue draft National Mitigation Plan is almost wholly inadequate to meet the climate challenges ahead, according to Ireland’s leading environmental organisations. The Environmental Pillar, together with Stop Climate Chaos, has outlined its findings on the draft Plan in a submission sent as part of a public consultation set to close today. The […]

Press Release: 500 organisations sign open letter to Jean-Claude Juncker urging him to protect our soil

500 organisations sent an open letter to the President of the European Commission (EC) Jean-Claude Juncker today urging him to enact legislation to protect our soils from further degradation. The letter was sent to coincide with this Saturday’s celebration of Earth Day, an international day of action to highlight the work of environmental movements worldwide. […]

Press Release: Environmental organisations welcome recommendation of Oireachtas Committee to ban fracking

Environmental organisations welcome the recommendation of the Oireachtas’ environmental Committee to ban fracking in the Republic of Ireland. The Environmental Pillar welcomes the decision to support a prohibition on fracking in a report launched by the Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment today. The Environmental Pillar – a coalition of 26 Irish environmental […]

Press Release: Environmental organisations deeply concerned at water charges debate

Environmental organisations are deeply concerned at the absence of a set charge for excessive water use in the pending report on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services. The Environmental Pillar also believes that the Oireachtas Committee’s proposal for penalties for excessive water use will do next to nothing to curb wastage. The committee has […]

Submission to the Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services in Ireland

Whilst there is much that is welcome in the report, it includes one obvious and serious contradiction. It states that Excessive or wasteful use of water should be paid for directly by the user at tariffs determined by CER. It then goes on to make no real proposal on how to decide when there is […]

Better Europe Alliance response to European Commission 2017 Country Report for Ireland

As part of the annual European Semester process, the European Commission published its Country Reports on each EU Member State, including Ireland, in February 2017. The Country Reports present the Commission’s analysis of the economic, social and environmental policies of each country, as well as national progress in delivering on both the five agreed Europe […]

Environmental Pillar supports fracking ban in submission to government

The Environmental Pillar supports the Bill – The Prohibition of Extraction and Exploration of Onshore Petroleum 2016, and recommends that the Committee pass this Bill to the next stage of the Dáil without delay. As a network we are motivated by the mounting global and national peer reviewed evidence detailing the significant risks and negative […]

Press Release: Over 80 Irish civil society groups, including unions, farmers and business owners, are calling on MEPs to reject the EU Canada trade deal

A coalition of Irish farmers, environmentalists, trade unionists, global justice groups and small business organisations have called on MEPs to oppose the EU Canada trade deal known as CETA. [1]   The groups co-signed a letter to members of a European Parliament committee [2] calling for rejection of the deal earlier this week.   The trade deal […]

Environmental Pillar sign letter calling on MEPs to reject EU Canada trade deal

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Press Release: Over 450 European and Canadian civil society groups urge legislators to reject CETA

PRESS RELEASE Over 450 public interest groups from across Europe and Canada today urged legislators to vote against the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The Environmental Pillar, a coalition of 28 Irish environmental NGOs, also joined the call for politicians to reject this trade deal. We have joined forces to defend people and planet […]

Press Release: Environmental groups concerned that EU Parliament will not be allowed to scrutinise the CETA trade deal with Canada

PRESS RELEASE Today a resolution to seek an opinion from the European Court of Justice on the compatibility of CETA with EU Treaties [1] was rejected by the European Parliament. The push to fast-track the controversial CETA trade deal continues with both the EU Trade Committee and the Conference of the Presidents over the last […]

Press Release: Climate change IS the challenge of our generation but Budget 2017 falls FAR short of what is needed

Budget 2017 may have brought measures to move Ireland’s transport and energy sectors towards a low carbon future but action across all areas of policy is needed to put the country on a sustainable path. The Environmental Pillar, an advocacy coalition of 28 national environmental charities, are calling Budget 2017 a missed opportunity to prepare […]

Taxing environmentally damaging practices and giving the money back through investment should be a key initiative of Budget 2017

Environmental groups are calling on the government to tax environmentally damaging practices to change behaviour and raise government revenue. Three simple measures, a levy on single-use items, a levy on the aggregates, and a levelling of the excise duty on petrol and diesel, would net the government in the region of €415m every year.* And […]

Press Release: Routine hedge-cutting during the month of August remains an offence under the Wildlife Act

For immediate release The existing prohibition on cutting ANY hedgerows between March 1st and August 31st is an offence under the Wildlife acts, unless exempted The Environmental Pillar are reiterating that the cutting of hedgerows remains illegal during the month of August, and are calling for existing wildlife laws to be upheld and enforced. Almost 20,000 people have signed a […]

Press Release: New European Climate Change targets let Ireland off the hook but they will not keep global warming below 1.5C target

More regular flooding, aggressive storms and drought will be outcome of watering down our climate targets.    New European Climate Change targets have been revealed today and they have made it easier for Ireland because of how emissions and carbon is accounted for. The Environmental Pillar, a coalition of 28 Irish national environmental NGOs, warns […]