Press Releases

In the early hours of Friday morning, EU leaders in Brussels agreed three targets for carbon reductions in 2030. However, the Environmental Pillar are concerned at the low levels of these targets which see a 40% reduction in greenhouse gases, 27% increase in renewable energy and a 27% increase in energy efficiency over 1990 levels. […]

Investment in Social Housing The Environmental Pillar today welcome government investment of €2.2bn in social housing provision but are calling on the government to ensure this housing is of the highest energy efficiency. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin today announced an investment of €2.2bn for social housing provision over the next three […]

The Environmental Pillar welcomes moves by the government to address the problem of developers hoarding zoned and serviced land and calls for the introduction of a site value tax. Minister for Finance Michael Noonan today stated that a public consultation will be launched on the issues of developers allowing sites to lay derelict as they […]

The Environmental Pillar cautiously welcomes the marine measures in the budget but warns that the increase in the blue economy must not come at the cost of small fishermen and the environment. The proposed Marine Tax review is an opportunity to focus tax support on smaller specialist fishing vessels that can fish sustainably and provide […]

The Environmental Pillar welcomes a number of tax measures that will benefit farmers and farming communities but warns that increases in productivity must not come at the cost of Ireland’s biodiversity. Minister for Finance Michael Noonan highlighted the importance of land availability for young farmers wishing to expand in the industry and will provide Irish […]

At the National Ploughing Championships 2014, the Environmental Pillar launched a report into how Ireland’s biodiversity can help in the fight against climate change. The report entitled ‘Ireland’s Biodiversity: Our natural ally in the fight against climate change’ outlines how protecting natural habitats is an important and cost effective option for government to store carbon and […]

The Environmental Pillar is concerned that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) currently being negotiated could force Ireland to permit fracking against the will of the Irish people. The trade deal, as currently envisaged, would allow for companies banned from fracking in Ireland to take legal action against the country under an onerous new […]

The Environmental Pillar are calling on Ministers Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney to stop burying their heads in the sand over Ireland’s climate change commitments.  While the government has cut emissions in some areas the EPA figures released today show that the Agriculture and Transport sectors alone have set Ireland on course to miss our […]

For immediate release The European Commission’s withdrawal of two crucial pieces of environmental policy at the moment that citizens across Europe are voting in the European elections sends a bad signal as to what Europe’s priorities are. The formal withdrawal of the 2003 proposal for a Directive on Access to Justice underlines the urgent need for the Commission […]

Here are the highlights from the Environmental Hustings for MEP candidates in the South constituency. Three candidates attended the event which was held in the Gresham Metropole Hotel in Cork on Tuesday May 13th. Kieran Hartley of Fianna Fáil, Jan Van de Ven of Direct Democracy Ireland and Donal O’Riordan of Fís Nua were quizzed […]

The Environmental Pillar welcomes the decision of the United Nation’s International Court of Justice, which has just announced its ruling that: Japan’s whaling is not scientific; and is therefore illegal, and that it must stop immediately. The Environmental Pillar believes that the rights of these complex social mammals need to be further protected by the […]

RTE Primetime Tuesday 18 March 14 March 2014: Following RTE Primetime’s decision to give climate change “sceptics” equal representation on a show discussing climate change, the Environmental Pillar has called on RTE to deal with the reality of the situation. “This is not Public Service broadcasting”, said Michael Ewing, of the Environmental Pillar “Primetime is […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]