IRELAND is coming from behind in the drive to reduce its carbon emissions, partly because of the continuing development and partly because it has failed to tackle the problem over the past decade of record growth, according to experts.

THE European Commission’s €60 billion action plan to tackle global warming puts the EU to the forefront in the fight against climate change — but it is just the first shot in what will be a battle with member states.

THE cost of electricity will increase under proposals for a huge reform of the EU’s CO2 emissions trading scheme, due to be announced today.

IRISH workers are among the most mobile in the EU with a third in their current job for less than two years and about the same number planning to change jobs again.

IRELAND is more exposed than most other eurozone countries to the ill-effects of a down turn in the US economy, but a recessionis in no way inevitable, according to Finance Minister Brian Cowen.

IRELAND will have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and transport by 15% by 2020 under a plan to tackle climate change to be published by the European Commission tomorrow.

MOST Irish people say they have never heard of and don’t know anything about the loss of biodiversity, despite up to half of all Europe’s birds, butterflies, fish and animals being threatened with extinction.

IRELAND will be asked to make huge cuts in its CO2 emissions and to vastly increase the amount of energy from renewables in the EU’s climate change plan to be published next week.

THE 17-year-old brother of missing Dublin girl Amy Fitzpatrick has written her a heartfelt letter begging her to come home, and asking her not to be scared if she’s in a place she cannot escape from.

IRELAND’S regional airports will escape new EU rules they say would have increased their costs and made them less competitive.