Press Releases
Environmental Pillar welcomes moves to place levies on disposable containers, but calls for further action.
The Environmental Pillar welcomed the proposals by officials in the Department of the Environment to Minister Coveney, to take measures to tackle the twin issues of litter and waste while also providing some extra revenue for the Environment Fund.
“By placing a cost on single use items we can encourage consumers and vendors to think about what will happen to the item when they are finished using it.” “We need to change the way that people think about ‘disposable’ packaging.” said Mindy O’Brien of VOICE, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Pillar.
Environmental Pillar brings positive message to National Economic Dialogue.
Representatives of the Environmental Pillar will speak at the National Economic Dialogue about their vision for a resilient circular economy, based on Sustainable Development Goals – which can bring a strong buoyant economy with fairness and benefits for all. “We have to build our economy on solid foundations. This means reducing and ultimately eliminating the […]
Press Release: Environmental Pillar tells National Economic Dialogue: A sustainable economy can only be built on environmentally sound foundations, and reminds Taoiseach that the Sustainable Development Goals apply to Ireland as well as developing countries.
Speaking at the opening session of the National Economic Dialogue, Cillian Lohan of the Environmental Pillar spoke about reducing and ultimately eliminating the concept of waste from all sectors. He said: “Almost all materials can be reused or remanufactured, which not only is beneficial for our environment but also creates jobs and wealth amongst communities […]
Press Release: Environmental groups welcome the decision to re-include 'environment' in the title of a government department but warn that protecting wildlife must move to the department too
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 […]
Press Release: Taoiseach misses opportunity to reinstate the Department of the Environment
Today the Government have failed to restore the Department of the Environment despite public outcry over its abolition. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has announced the new Junior Ministers but did not take the opportunity to address the problem of splitting up the functions of the Department of the Environment. The Environmental Pillar, an advocacy coalition of […]
Press Release: Programme for Government falls far short of what Ireland needs to do to tackle climate change
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 […]
Press Release: The loss of the Department of the Environment will damage Ireland's natural environment
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 […]
Press Release: Using nature, stopping poor development, and long-term planning are key to tackling flooding
The Environmental Pillar today publish a series of twenty measures which if implemented could help prevent the worst effects of flooding. As communities around Ireland continue to deal with the aftermath of this winter’s devastating floods, the Environmental Pillar is calling for immediate measures to be taken to protect communities now and into the future. […]
Press Release: Bill to ban fracking in Ireland welcomed by environmental groups
The Environmental Pillar welcome the introduction of a bill today to ban fracking in Ireland. The Environmental Pillar, which is made up of 28 national environmental NGOs, are calling on TDs to support the proposed law which will prohibit the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the exploration or extraction of oil and gas in […]
Press Release: The Energy White Paper is an important step forward but we need to deliver a zero emission future faster
The Environmental Pillar welcome the publication today of the Energy White Paper which outlines a vision for an emission free future. The Environmental Pillar, which is made up of 28 national environmental groups, welcomes this as a first step in a road towards the end of the use of fossil fuels. With over 90 actions […]
Catastrophic winter flooding will increase with climate change unless we substantially change the way we use land
The Environmental Pillar is calling on the government to bring in substantive land use changes to protect communities from increasingly frequent high rainfall events.
Press Release: Taoiseach's stance that climate change is 'not a priority' is foolhardy and economically short-sighted
The Environmental Pillar are calling on the Taoiseach Enda Kenny to retract his statement that ‘climate change is not a priority’ and start to build a country and economy fit for the 21st century. The Environmental Pillar, an advocacy coalition made up of 28 national environmental NGOs, want the Taoiseach to accept that failing to […]
Press Release: Environmental groups call for native woodland scheme to be expanded to balance farm emissions
The Environmental Pillar welcome calls for the use of forestry on farms to balance carbon emissions from agriculture, in an effort to increase sustainability and protect livelihoods.
Press Release: An Taisce Dingle road appeal welcomed as decision could impact other cases
The Environmental Pillar welcome the decision of An Taisce to challenge the High Court ruling on the N86 road as it could have a substantial knock on impact. Today An Taisce – the National Trust for Ireland – announced that it intends to pursue its case regarding the N86 Dingle road to the Court of […]
Press Release: Budget 2016 is not future proof
The Environmental Pillar welcome Budget 2016 but warn that a number of measures do not effectively prepare the country for a low carbon future. The Environmental Pillar, a coalition of 28 Irish national environmental NGOs, is now calling on the government to support the measures announced in the budget with a robust plan to help […]
Environmental Pillar welcome the passing of Climate Bill but warn real work still ahead
The Environmental Pillar welcomes the passing of the Climate Bill but warns that we need a solid emissions reduction plan in place now. Today the Climate Action and Low Carbon Bill 2015 passed Dáil Éireann. This is the culmination of many years of campaigning from Irish environmental groups. The Environmental Pillar, an advocacy coalition of […]
Press Release: Environmental Pillar calls for savings from Smoky coal ban to be re-invested in home insulation
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 […]
Press Release: Ireland can be proud of the UN's Global Goals, test now is achieving them in Ireland
NGOs urge the Taoiseach to commit to a national action plan – to overcome Irish “implementation deficit disorder” Friday 25th September – New York Ireland can be proud of the role our diplomats played in developing the UN’s new Global Goals for Sustainable Development, according to the Environmental Pillar. Along with Kenya, Ireland co-chaired the […]
Hazardous chemical being used in Irish forests needs to be phased out
The Environmental Pillar are calling for an end to the use of the hazardous chemical Cypermethrin in Irish forests. This chemical which kills insects is being used in significant quantities over a large area of land, some 50,000 ha, in an attempt to protect the non-native spruce and pine from pests. The Environmental Pillar believe […]
The Environmental Pillar welcomes the Pope's call for action on climate change
The Environmental Pillar, which is made up of 28 Irish environmental NGOs, welcomes the stance taken by the Pontiff in his teaching today. The encyclical entitled ‘Laudato Si’ calls on all nations to deal squarely with climate change, to phase out the use of fossil fuels and for the world’s rich nations to begin paying […]
The Environmental Pillar rejects eco-label given to an Irish salmon farm
UPDATE 18/6/15: SAI Global Assurances who carried out the audit of Deenish Salmon Farm have been in contact to say that a number of Environmental Pillar organisations were contacted during the consultation phase of the audit. The nature of this contact is not clear. We will update this when we know more. The Environmental […]
EU critical of Ireland’s failure to tax environmental harm
The Environmental Pillar wish to highlight the concerns raised around the failure to make Ireland’s tax system environmentally friendly. The Environmental Pillar, an advocacy coalition of 28 Irish environmental NGOs, is calling on the government to address the issues raised in the draft Country Specific Recommendations for Ireland published by the European Commission. They include: […]
Burning peat is costing our environment and the taxpayer dearly and needs to stop
The Environmental Pillar condemns the decision to continue burning peat in power stations past 2019 and calls for a transition to sustainable jobs in the Midlands. The Environmental Pillar, an advocacy coalition made up of 28 Irish environmental NGOs, is calling for a reversal of the decision by ESB and Bord na Móna to continue […]
The Challenges Faced at COP 20
Fr. Seán McDonagh, SSC At 10 o’clock on December 1st 2014, Manuel Plugar-Vidal, the Peruvian Minister of State for the Environment and President of COP 20 – the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – opened COP20.. The Minister is a lawyer with 27 years experience working in […]
