News

The Marine Group of the Environmental Pillar invites you to a Marine Protected Areas Conference on March 24th 2014, 11.30 am – 5.30 pm  Delivering a coherent network of Marine Protected Areas and using them as a tool in ecosystem-based fisheries management kindly hosted by  The EC representation in Ireland, European Union House, 18 Dawson St, Dublin […]

Dear Minister Quinn, The members of the Environmental Pillar are asking you to support a proposal under the Action Plan for Jobs 2014 for Third Level Campuses as Living Laboratories for the Green Economy and a Sustainable Ireland, as outlined on pages 73-76 of our Greening-the-Economy-and-Creating-Sustainable-Employment report. The Environmental Pillar is an advocacy coalition of 27 […]

6 February 2014: The Environmental Pillar is calling on the Constitutional Convention to allow an additional weekend to debate the issues raised by the public.The Constitutional Convention has chosen to ignore the hundreds of written submissions and presentations on the environment. Instead the Constitutional Convention has decided to support reform of the Dáil even though […]

29 January 2014: The Environmental Pillar calls on the Government to initiate an inclusive participatory process to develop a comprehensive national strategy on energy. “There is a clear and urgent need for a sense of direction and understanding as to how Ireland will power its communities and enable a successful economy, whilst responding to the […]

Environmental Pillar meets Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine at 2pm today to discuss the Forestry Bill 28 January 2014: The Environmental Pillar says that critical changes must be made to the Forestry Bill 2013 to safeguard our natural environment for the well-being of future generations. Without these changes, we will continue to […]

Click here to download the Environmental Pillar Submission on Forestry Bill 2013 [button href=”http://environmentalpillar.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Environmental-Pillar-Submission-on-Forestry-Bill-2013-Posted-on-January-28-2014.pdf” title=”Title” target=”blank” shape=”square, rounded, pill” size=”mini, small, regular, large, x-large, jumbo” icon_only=”true” info=”popover, tooltip” info_place=”top, right, bottom, left” info_trigger=”hover, click, focus” info_content=”This content will only show up if you have decided to show a popover.”] Click here to see the full […]

22 January 2013: The Environmental Pillar expressed its dismay today at the European Commission’s disarray over climate policy.  Spokesperson Michael Ewing commented: “The split in the Barroso Commission on climate policy is worse than ever. Industry and Energy Commissioners, responding to fossil fuel lobbies, are stymieing agreement on Europe’s 2030 targets. The Climate and Environment […]

20 January 2014: Some 300 civil society groups from across Europe have expressed their concerns over proposals by the European Commission to issue non-binding guidance for the shale gas industry this week. In an open letter addressed to EU institutions, some 300 diverse groups from across Europe criticise the Commission’s proposals to issue non-binding guidance […]

 Press release – 8 January 2013 Environmental democracy is still a long way off “The Irish public are unlikely to accept that their rights to access information, to participate in decision-making and of access to justice regarding the environment are being delivered.  However that is what they are being told in the Irish Government’s Implementation […]

Expert training in Dublin on the Aarhus Convention The Environmental Pillar is organising events today to deliver training to lawyers, activists and government officials on the Aarhus Convention and its compliance mechanism. Professor Jerzy Jendroska, a member of the Compliance Committee of the Aarhus Convention will be instrumental in helping the Environmental Pillar to deliver […]

26 November 2013: The right to information, as enshrined by the Aarhus Convention, is an emerging good news story in what has been a dim situation surrounding freedom of information in Ireland.The Aarhus Convention guarantees your right to easily obtain information on the environment or on human health issues that are affected by the environment. […]

12 November 2013:  The Environmental Pillar condemns the announcement of a further round of fossil fuel exploration on the very day that the 19th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change opened in Warsaw. Environmental Pillar spokesperson Oisín Coghlan said: “We are very concerned that Minister O’Dowd is acting as […]

7 November 2013:  The Environmental Pillar is warning that proposed local government reforms have excluded sustainable development from their core structures, putting the stability of our economy and communities at risk. Environmental Pillar spokesperson Michael Ewing said: “Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past. During the Celtic tiger, environmental sustainability was left out of […]

7 November 2013: The Environmental Pillar, a coalition of 27 national environmental NGOs, welcomes the National Social and Economic Council (NESC) support for the greening of the Irish economy in its Report No.135  Ireland’s Five-Part Crisis, Five Years On: Deepening Reform and Institutional Innovation, published today.Michael Ewing, spokesperson for the Environmental Pillar, said:”Human society emerged […]

The Environmental Pillar sent this letter to all TDs on 5 November 2013, asking them to support the inclusion of this definition of ‘public authorities’ in the Freedom of Information Bill   Dear Deputy, The new Freedom of Information Bill is a step forward in many ways, but at present it is missing one opportunity. […]

On Thursday 17 October 2013, the Environmental Pillar sent the following letter to Minister Coveney:   Dear Minister Coveney, Your intention, as we understand the reporting of it, is not to extend support for farmers coming out of REP4 or AEOS in to 2014. This is part of an attempt to save money and will […]

Cork will be the first stop on a national roadshow to explore citizens’ rights of access to information, participation and justice in environmental matters. Have you found yourself frustrated when trying to get information on development and planning applications? Do you think that there should be more public participation in the decision-making processes around the […]

9 October 2013: The Environmental Pillar reacts with dismay to the news that Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 increased by 1% from 2011, as evidenced by today’s report from the EPA. We call on the government to deliver a strong Climate Change Bill with binding targets, and to re-evaluate the sustainability of Food Harvest […]

A green economy should be a driver of competitiveness, security of supply and sustainability. The Green Economy should incorporate the whole economy rather than be a niche or a subset. The UNEP definition of a Green Economy as one that results in “improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological […]

7 October 2013: The Environmental Pillar is extremely alarmed for the future prospects of our native ash trees, now that it has been confirmed that ash dieback has been discovered in a native ash tree in a hedgerow in Leitrim. The site is close to where the disease was first found in a commercial plantation of […]

29 September 2013: The Environmental Pillar calls for a “No” vote in the Seanad referendum, and demands the reform of the Seanad rather than its abolition. “Abolishing the Seanad leaves us to the mercy of professional politicians and uncontrollable Government majorities. The Government’s promised political reforms are far from clear or assured. We are being […]

The Environmental Pillar calls for a “No” vote in the Seanad referendum, and demands the reform of the Seanad rather than its abolition. “Abolishing the Seanad leaves us to the mercy of professional politicians and uncontrollable Government majorities. The Government’s promised political reforms are far from clear or assured. We are being forced to “buy […]

27 September 2013: In light of the shocking Fifth Assessment Report released by the IPCC today, the Environmental Pillar is demanding that the government take urgent action to meet the biggest challenge of our time. Environmental Pillar spokesperson Michael Ewing said: “Ireland and other high-income OECD countries must take responsibility for ambitious emissions reductions by […]

Environmental Pillar press release, 24 September 2013 Every person has the right to a healthy environment, and the right to protect it – rights that have recently been recognised by Irish and international law. That’s the Environmental Pillar’s message at the National Ploughing Championships this week. ‘Members of the public now have their human rights […]