environment

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

Experts and voters agree that green space in cities has major health benefits 
Experts and voters agree that green space in cities has major health benefits 
More walking and cycling infrastructure, a congestion charge, and space for nature are key to unlocking Cork's potential — and our health 

Mon, 09 Mar, 2026

Climate change
EU scientists: 'Tackle air pollution to cut cancer rates'
It is estimated that lung cancer deaths would be reduced by more than 10% by meeting WHO guidelines for air pollution

Fri, 06 Mar, 2026

Arbutus with berries
Portugal fined €10m by EU Court of Justice for failing to protect biodiversity
Country ordered to pay €41,250 a day until it complies with a previous court order made in 2019

Thu, 05 Mar, 2026

Asian hornet from Catalonia - portrait
Waterford beekeepers join forces to prevent return of Asian hornet
The Asian hornet, often called the yellow‑legged hornet, is an apex predator of honey bees and other pollinating insects

Fri, 27 Feb, 2026

An undated handout photo made available
River fishing ban seen to reverse biodiversity decline
In response to biodiversity collapse in the Yangtze river, China dramatically implemented a 10-year, full commercial fishing ban across the entire river basin

Fri, 20 Feb, 2026

Meowing a tool cats use to control their keepers
Meowing a tool cats use to control their keepers
A feline companion is a calming presence, especially if it’s a regular purrer

Thu, 19 Feb, 2026

Finding frogspawn still stirs some excitement
Finding frogspawn still stirs some excitement
Common frogs are not especially fussy about where they lay their eggs, but they do follow the same routes to get to spawning areas that have been followed by many generations of their predecessors

Thu, 19 Feb, 2026

barn swallow flies fast
Changes in nature aren’t always that predictable
The natural world is not bound by dates on the calendar. Such matters are dictated by changes in temperature and lengthening daylight

Thu, 19 Feb, 2026

Climate change of The Planet Earth and environmental awareness concept
S Pádraic Fogarty: Ecosystem collapse is real and is happening here now
Ireland can breeze through the collapse of our own ecosystems because of the stabilising effect of much larger ecosystems elsewhere. Now those ecosystems too are at risk of collapse, due principally to livestock farming and industrial fishing but supercharged by the burning of fossil fuels and the pollution of waterways, writes ecologist Pádraic Fogarty

Sun, 15 Feb, 2026

Cork fish kill report calls for single agency to lead pollution responses after it finds 'detection gap'
Cork fish kill report calls for single agency to lead pollution responses after it finds 'detection gap'
The suspected pollution source in Ireland's largest fish kill remains undetermined despite Inland Fisheries Ireland investing almost €43,000 into the investigation

Fri, 13 Feb, 2026

Cork council to carry out pilot project to prevent infestation of sea lettuce on the coast
Cork council to carry out pilot project to prevent infestation of sea lettuce on the coast
The project will place oysters and mussel bags in the water to remove nitrates and reduce the nutrition sea lettuce depends on to thrive

Mon, 09 Feb, 2026

Smoke from the chimney
Illegal smoky coal and wet wood still being sold in Cork despite 2022 ban
Council inspectors target wholesale fuel suppliers as councillors warn illegal smoky coal is still harming vulnerable communities

Sun, 01 Feb, 2026

New study on indiscriminate death traps known as tangle nets
S New study on indiscriminate death traps known as tangle nets
We need a ban on the use of tangle netting to bring an end to the carnage of threatened and protected species says ecologist Pádraic Fogarty as a new Marine Institute report highlights serious problems facing wildlife in Ireland's first marine environment National Park

Sun, 01 Feb, 2026

Beautiful Autumn colours at Upper Torc Waterfall, Killarney National Park, Kerry, Ireland
Parks service to appeal refusal of immersive education centre in Killarney National Park
Also, there has been no decision yet by An Coimisiún Pleanála on an NPWS proposal to build a raised cycle and walkway between Dinis and Torc

Fri, 30 Jan, 2026

Interactive map showcases Shannon Estuary's wildlife and how to best protect it
Interactive map showcases Shannon Estuary's wildlife and how to best protect it
The Shannon Estuary has been internationally recognised for its wildlife, as it sees many waterbirds travel thousands of kilometres from Greenland and Iceland to winter there

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

Written on the walls: what lichens tell us about our environment
Written on the walls: what lichens tell us about our environment
Lichens have no roots, no waxy leaves and no way to filter what they absorb. Everything they take in comes directly from the atmosphere so they are extraordinarily sensitive to air quality. For more than a century, scientists have used lichens to track pollution

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

Mexico Seaweed
Scientists warn of ‘regime shift’ as seaweed blooms expand worldwide
Seaweed blooms have expanded by a staggering 13.4% a year in the tropical Atlantic and western Pacific, with the most dramatic increases occurring after 2008

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Seafood Processing and Aquaculture in Mulroy bay Fish farm cages Northern Ireland
Irish Examiner view: Conservation plans will not be fulfilled without money
The bald fact is that we have never protected nature well and, as a nation, we are failing to provide the resources necessary to meet environmental targets, both notional and real

Thu, 15 Jan, 2026

Dump Truck at Copper Mine
When councils won’t act, communities turn to nature to get justice
Environmental law has become the last line of defence against unauthorised quarrying, writes Eugene Farrell

Wed, 14 Jan, 2026

Cop28
Scientists confirm 2025 as third-hottest year on record
The result "underscores the urgency of halting the heating of Planet Earth and growing climate impacts by rapidly cutting greenhouse gases across all sectors of society", said Prof Richard Allan, climate scientist at the University of Reading.

Wed, 14 Jan, 2026

Weathering storms — and new beginnings
Weathering storms — and new beginnings
Alice Taylor, author of To School Through the Fields, grew up on a farm along the Cork‒Kerry border, experiencing a way of life that, though physically demanding, was kind to the land. This is an extract from her latest book, Weathering Storms, in which she writes about the challenges of living well with aging

Sun, 11 Jan, 2026

Irish weather lore preserved a deep understanding of our world
Irish weather lore preserved a deep understanding of our world
In an era of climate uncertainty, Irish weather lore points to something we risk losing: the habit of paying attention to what nature is telling us, writes Karol Mullaney Dignam

Tue, 06 Jan, 2026

Group claims ballroom at Trump's Doonbeg resort must wait until rare snail starts to prosper
Group claims ballroom at Trump's Doonbeg resort must wait until rare snail starts to prosper
The Friends of the Irish Environment maintain that a High Court settlement contained an order which ensured any future development would be 'bound by the objective of maintaining favourable conservation status' of the Vertigo angustior snail

Mon, 05 Jan, 2026

Lense
Ireland’s 2025 environmental review — and a look ahead to 2026
Ireland did not experience a single defining climate disaster in 2025... climate change in Ireland now operates less as a headline-grabbing event and more as a persistent context

Fri, 02 Jan, 2026

dilapidated cable car at a former ski resort near the town of Zabljak in northern Montenegro
Hundreds of ski slopes lie abandoned... will nature reclaim the Alps?
With the snow line edging higher, 186 French ski resorts have shut, while global heating threatens dozens more

Thu, 01 Jan, 2026

Red Fox At Night
The fox is a fine, healthy thing of beauty — why would we rip her to shreds?
Her coat shone, dense and full. Her amber eyes glowed, cleanly set in a ring of black. A creature of utter perfection, writes environmental activist, Seán Ronayne.  And we allow such majestic beings be chased and violently killed for 'sport'

Fri, 26 Dec, 2025

Mayo Cheeseburger Feast
Saving the planet, one label at a time  
We've had a series of earnest discussions and proposals, including within the European Parliament, about whether plant-based foods should be allowed to use words like 'burger' or 'sausage'

Fri, 26 Dec, 2025

UCC study urges council to take action on coastal erosion 
UCC study urges council to take action on coastal erosion 
The report, due to published in early 2026, outlines measures that need to be addressed 

Wed, 24 Dec, 2025

CORKLAND
Cork has no air pollution monitoring stations in areas with pharma firms, says council
It comes after it was revealed that an air pollution monitor in Carrigaline has been broken for more than a year

Sat, 13 Dec, 2025

Curious hedgehog in the grass
A pest or a prince — is it all down to postcodes?
The conservation–invasion paradox is when a species is endangered where it evolved but causes havoc where humans introduced it. So why can't we just bring unwanted animals to where they're wanted?

Fri, 12 Dec, 2025

High levels of 'forever chemical' found in cereal products across Europe, study finds
High levels of 'forever chemical' found in cereal products across Europe, study finds
The impact of ‘forever chemicals’ on human health and the environment is only just becoming clear, with new studies frequently emerging about some of the chemicals’ links to diseases such as cancer

Thu, 04 Dec, 2025

Oireachtas committee calls for tougher penalties after major Blackwater fish kill in Cork
Oireachtas committee calls for tougher penalties after major Blackwater fish kill in Cork
An Oireachtas committee recommends stronger enforcement powers, rapid response protocols and tougher penalties following Ireland’s largest recorded fish kill

Fri, 28 Nov, 2025

Heavily congested Cork town has no working air pollution monitor
Heavily congested Cork town has no working air pollution monitor
Cork County councillor Audrey Buckley claimed it hasn’t been transmitting data since October 5, 2023

Sun, 23 Nov, 2025

FILE PHOTO The High Court has seen four cases brought against the State from women sent to give birth in Mother and Baby homes.
Cork residents get go-ahead for High Court challenge over drinking water concerns 
Friends of the Irish Environment and local Cork residents will claim the basis on which Uisce Éireann and the EPA declare water containing manganese safe to drink is mistaken

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

Approved for Construction
Non-appointment of 18 judges 'barrier' to planning system functioning properly
Friends of the Irish Environment says the Government is creating further delays by failing to speed up appointments

Wed, 19 Nov, 2025

Climate COP30
Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber all Cop30 delegations except Brazil, report says
It brings the total number of fossil fuel lobbyists given access to the UN climate summits to 7,000 over the past five years, according to Kick Big Polluters Out

Fri, 14 Nov, 2025

Ringaskiddy incinerator is the wrong project, in the wrong place, for the wrong future
Ringaskiddy incinerator is the wrong project, in the wrong place, for the wrong future
I would encourage anyone interested in the rejection of the plan for an incinerator in Cork Harbour to make a submission to An Coimisiún Pleanála before the deadline of Monday, November 17, writes Labour Party senator from Cork, Laura Harmon

Fri, 14 Nov, 2025

a willow casket - contemporary style
Michelle McKeown: The greenest ways to go when you go
When it comes to carbon footprints, the old-fashioned burial isn’t exactly green. Traditional burials involve embalming chemicals (usually formaldehyde) and hardwood coffins — but there are more eco-friendly options now available

Sat, 08 Nov, 2025

Winter weather Jan 26th 2025
Taoiseach to tell world leaders at Cop30 Storm Éowyn showed 'climate change is a reality'
Micheál Martin will draw on the record-breaking Storm Éowyn from early January in his speech, which brought sustained hurricane-force winds of 142km per hour.

Thu, 06 Nov, 2025

Solar panels. Power station. Blue solar panels. Alternative source of electricity. Solar farm. The source of ecological renewabl
John Gibbons: Saying nuclear power is better for the environment than solar is ludicrous 
The idea that intensive dairy farming is some kind of pastoral idyll with no impact on the environment has been allowed to take hold to the point that serious people are now suggesting nuclear reactors instead of solar

Wed, 05 Nov, 2025

Irish Examiner view: Security at Ipas centres needs review
Irish Examiner view: Security at Ipas centres needs review
To terrorise innocent people in this way is almost beyond comprehension and there is little by way of consolation in the fact that the forces of law will inevitably catch up with the person responsible

Tue, 04 Nov, 2025

Who are CHASE and why are they holding public meetings this month?
Who are CHASE and why are they holding public meetings this month?
Nearly 25 years ago waste management comapany Indaver applied for planning permission a hazardous and non-hazardous waste incinerator at Ringaskiddy, County Cork.  This was refused permission by Cork County Council and then appealed to An Bórd Pleanála. There was considerable opposition including from environmental campaign group Chase. Oral hearings and court proceedings ensued and permission was eventually refused. This application has now been reactivated. We put some questions to CHASE...

Mon, 03 Nov, 2025

Cork water: EPA's approval of Uisce Éireann action plan challenged in High Court
Cork water: EPA's approval of Uisce Éireann action plan challenged in High Court
Residents are being 'misled' that clear water is safe, and manganese levels are above safety limits, according to the legal challenge

Sun, 02 Nov, 2025

Kerry councillors condemn approval for commercial salmon farm to continue, despite serious breaches
Kerry councillors condemn approval for commercial salmon farm to continue, despite serious breaches
The licence was revoked in 2019 when it was found to have harvested twice the allowed tonnes of salmon in 2016

Fri, 31 Oct, 2025

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