Community groups fighting against windfarm developments in their area of west Waterford have slammed setback recommendations in a Government review of wind energy guidelines as “developer-led” and likely to accentuate their concerns.

A reduction in the economic growth forecast due to Brexit has been halved just weeks ahead of Britain exiting the European Union.

The Government is “undermining” its own renewable energy targets ahead of a general election in which climate change will influence voters’ polling decisions, one of the country’s main renewable energy representative groups has claimed.

In 2020, Eamon Ryan will be Tánaiste and the general election result will be so close to 50:50 that the two main political parties will end up with 50 seats each. Those are my predictions for 2020.

The country's poor waste management record means more than 200kg of waste packaging is generated by each person every year.

Environment Minister Richard Bruton has said he intends to focus on fast fashion, cigarette butts, and plastic in an effort to tackle Ireland’s poor record on waste management

Environment Minister Richard Bruton is considering laws to tackle engine idling.

Landlord representatives have slammed proposals by the government to improve energy ratings in rented property.

Health Minister Simon Harris has been slammed for “washing his hands” of the serious public health impacts of smoky coal.

Christy Parker Waterford Council officials are seeking a meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Environment Minister Eoghan Murphy and Finance Minister Pascal Donoghue after commercial rates alterations measures introduced by the government left the local authority with an estimated €3.3m revenue shortfall.

The Gardai are examining using hybrid cars to replace the ministerial fleet in a bid to reduce carbon emissions, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

The idea was mooted over the weekend and has gained attention with government projections that a 1m EVs will be on Irish roads by 2030.

From midnight, the change will add around 2c to a litre of petrol or diesel, or about €36 per year in fuel costs for the average motorist.

Fine Gael TDs and senators are this afternoon getting a detailed briefing on the government's pre-Brexit budget, amid fears over higher carbon taxes and a backlash over delayed benefits.

Households with poor heating systems and families impacted by fuel poverty will escape carbon charge rises planned for this week’s budget.

Former Finance Minister, Michael Noonan, was sharply opposed to the idea of putting water meters outside every home in the State but was overruled by then-Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, a new book reveals.

Environment Minister Richard Bruton has called on Independent TD Noel Grealish to withdraw inappropriate remarks about African immigrants sponging off the State.

Environment Minister Richard Bruton warned yesterday that Irish business has not broken the link between economic prosperity and greenhouse gas emissions.

There seems no end to the trouble being caused to Fine Gael by what we might term, for the purposes of this column, the “little people”.

The Government has been forced to backtrack on a decision not to pay out grants to those retrofitting their homes.

Be honest, we’ve all done it at least once.

Richard Bruton, the Climate Action and Environment Minister, recently described the Government’s Climate Action Plan as “ambitious but realistic”.

Sinn Féin climate action spokesman, David Cullinane, is demanding that the State picks up the bill for any costs accrued by the public after it emerged that millions of euro promised for the grants system now no longer exist.

Amazon has bought a second wind farm in Ireland.

Ireland remains "completely off course" to achieve its 2020 and 2030 climate change targets, the Climate Change Advisory Council has warned.

Further significant rises will be necessary over the coming decade to tackle climate change linked to carbon dioxide, an advisory panel added.

The proposals for the facility in Shannonbridge, Co. Offaly would have seen it fuelled with biomass as well as peat.

Cigarette butts now make up more than half of all our litter.

Climate change protesters have glued themselves to the doors of a government building in Dublin.

When thinking about ways in which the Government’s climate action plan could be publicised and discussed by all who will be affected by it, the environment ministry had an inspired idea: An old-fashioned town hall meeting.

A Government ‘town hall’ meeting in Cork to promote its climate action plan was invitation-only and was not publicised in advance.

The Environment Minister is to hold at least six town-hall meetings across the country on the new Climate Action Plan.

The Government has been warned its Climate Action Plan will hurt rural Ireland and stop families buying tractors and burning turf.

The Government has been accused of gross hypocrisy and of making a “charade” of its climate change promises, after it emerged it has spent more than €86m buying itself out of international environmental targets.

New funding has been announced to tackle illegal dumping.

A billboard campaign promoting the connection between wind energy and dealing with climate change will be unveiled across nine counties today.

More than 15,000 Irish schoolchildren marched out of classrooms yesterday to join a global mass movement of climate change demonstrations.

Electric car owners could be asked to pay to charge up their vehicles in public places under plans being considered by the Government.

A unit of US equity fund Fortress has bought out the €1bn Shannon LNG terminal project located down the shore from the Tarbert ferry in Co Kerry.

What is Environment Minister Denis Naughten’s problem with deposit-refunds on bottles, cans and plastic bottles, and a ban on cups and tableware that can’t be composted or used again?

The Environment Minister says the government will be introducing more charging points to get people to switch to electric cars.

Despite a significant decline in the number of smokers in recent years, cigarette butts still make up more than half of the litter on our streets.

The trial use of street lamps as electric car charging points is expected to lead to a quicker national rollout of power-up options for drivers and an increased changeover to emission-free vehicles.

The Government has given almost €900,000 to councils around the country to tackle litter, graffiti, and dog fouling.