Climate & Sustainability - Irish Examiner

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Climate and Sustainability

<p>Members of Slaney Search and Rescue working in floodwater in Enniscorthy last week. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire</p>

munster

Orange rain warnings issued as flooding risk rises across south-east and east

Met Éireann says saturated ground, swollen rivers and high tides could trigger further flooding across eastern and southern counties

<p> Beds at The Glen Community Garden in Cork. one of the 25 community food-growing projects in the city being highlighted at today's event in Dublin. File picture: Larry Cummins</p>

munster

Cork community gardens to be highlighted at national event

<p>Wet driving conditions on the Rochestown Road in Cork. Picture: Chani Anderson</p>

outdoors

A wet present — and a wetter future

New study on indiscriminate death traps known as tangle nets

S outdoors

New study on indiscriminate death traps known as tangle nets

Winter weather Jan 27th 2026

ourview

Irish Examiner view: Home insurance falls victim to Storm Chandra and climate change

Malaria drug research

outdoors

Climate change and deforestation helping mosquitos thrive

Flowers are great... until they bloom at the wrong time

Flowers are great... until they bloom at the wrong time

Results of the 16th annual New Year Plant Hunt show how our weather is changing, impacting flowering times and other wildlife — birds, bees, butterflies, and a wide range of pollinators — that depend on our wild plants

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Call for emergency co-ordinators to have adequate records of people with disabilities ahead of storms

Call for emergency co-ordinators to have adequate records of people with disabilities ahead of storms

The Oireachtas climate committee's series of proposals were issued as the country was battered by Storm Chandra

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Grass and daisy covered rural lane, lined on either side by hedgerows

Proposed changes to Eco Scheme a 'meaningless measure'

Farming organisations have pushed back against the proposed changes to the Eco Scheme, saying the removal of previously approved actions within the scheme 'dilute' farmers' efforts

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Value, not sustainability, is driving the second-hand fashion boom

Value, not sustainability, is driving the second-hand fashion boom

Economic pressures and value-driven consumption are core to the second-hand surge, writes sustainability strategist Pat Kane

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026

Power plant

Only 32 fossil fuel firms account for half of world’s CO2 emissions, study shows

State-owned fossil fuel producers made up 17 of the top 20 emitters in the Carbon Majors report, which the authors said underscored the political barriers to tackling global heating

Wed, 21 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

Cars For Sale Stock Lot Row.

No more oil changes: Ireland's car dealers face a changed landscape as electric vehicle sales surge

Direct sales to customers also threaten to upend the sector

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Mountain stream flows through granite boulders in Glenmacnass valley, County Wicklow, Ireland

The invisible carbon in Ireland’s waters

Dissolved organic carbon may be one of the most underestimated pressures on Irish waters. About 20% of our land area is covered by peat and peaty soils, which are among the most carbon-rich ecosystems on Earth. That makes Ireland uniquely vulnerable to large losses of carbon from land to water

Fri, 16 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

Plan approval doesn't show Ireland 'rolling out the red carpet' for data centres, say ministers

Plan approval doesn't show Ireland 'rolling out the red carpet' for data centres, say ministers

The ministers said grid investment would be substantial in the years to come to make Ireland’s energy grid able to meet future demand

Tue, 13 Jan, 2026

New electric car registrations show significant recovery in 2025

New electric car registrations show significant recovery in 2025

To reach the Government's climate goal of 845,000 private electric cars on the road by 2030, 650,000 electric cars will have to be registered in the next five years

Tue, 13 Jan, 2026

Tirlán expands water quality learnings across Co-op catchment

Tirlán expands water quality learnings across Co-op catchment

Tirlán set to expand its 'Farming for Water' project in an effort to improve on-farm economic and environmental performances with members

Tue, 13 Jan, 2026

Whitelee Windfarm

Telling the truth about Ireland’s climate future

To avoid the political polarisation we see in the US, climate action needs to remain a shared national priority, grounded in evidence rather than ideology

Tue, 13 Jan, 2026

Natural sources of protein on dark background.

There's no such thing as a binary choice on food ethics

Choosing beans over meat is being sold as a simple solution to our ethical woes, but the evidence is rarely so straightforward, writes Orla McAndrew

Mon, 12 Jan, 2026

‘Profound impacts’: Record ocean heat is intensifying climate disasters, data shows

‘Profound impacts’: Record ocean heat is intensifying climate disasters, data shows

Oceans absorb 90% of global heating, making them a stark indicator of the relentless march of the climate crisis

Fri, 09 Jan, 2026

Cold enough to remember

Cold enough to remember

Ireland has lived through colder climates than this, and what stands out in hindsight is not collapse, but continuity. During the Little Ice Age (from roughly the 14th century to the mid-19th century) people adapted to altered seasons and unreliable weather without knowing they were living through a climatic shift

Fri, 09 Jan, 2026

Global warming increasing risk of severe weather events, Met Éireann warns

Global warming increasing risk of severe weather events, Met Éireann warns

Met Éireann says record-breaking warmth is intensifying storms, flooding and rainfall extremes as Ireland mirrors global climate trends

Tue, 06 Jan, 2026

MTU launches Ireland’s first pilot biorefinery in Kerry

MTU launches Ireland’s first pilot biorefinery in Kerry

The facility will develop technologies that convert the country’s grasslands into a range of products, including high-quality animal feeds, human-grade protein, prebiotics, flavours and bioenergy

Tue, 06 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

Social enterprises can be powerful drivers of climate action

Social enterprises can be powerful drivers of climate action

In an era of increasingly severe storms, social enterprises are reusing, repurposing, and recycling resources in innovative ways — while also reinvesting back into their social cause

Wed, 31 Dec, 2025

Aerial view of the coastline of Inishbofin, Co. Galway.

Ireland has a chance to get it right on protecting our seas

Ireland has a once-in-a-generation chance to legally protect nature in our seas and along our coasts, and we need to do it properly, writes Jack O’Donovan Trá

Tue, 30 Dec, 2025

'Midleton flood left my family in despair': Cork residents write to Government about their plight

'Midleton flood left my family in despair': Cork residents write to Government about their plight

Midleton, Mogeely, and Rathcormac residents prominent among those making submissions to the consultation stage of the Accelerating Infrastructure plan

Tue, 30 Dec, 2025

Scenic green valley and colourful rhododendron bushes in the Vee, Knockmealdown Mountains, Ireland.

Habitats report a stark contrast to nitrates decision

Biodiversity collapse is not a lost cause, but Government failure to prioritise it is devastating for all those working on nature restoration

Mon, 22 Dec, 2025

AI boom has released same amount of CO2 in 2025 as New York City has, report claims

AI boom has released same amount of CO2 in 2025 as New York City has, report claims

Study author says tech companies are reaping benefits of artificial intelligence age but society is left to pay cost

Thu, 18 Dec, 2025

Ireland needs 'significant shift away from private car use' to meet climate commitments, report says

Ireland needs 'significant shift away from private car use' to meet climate commitments, report says

Private car use was leading source of transport energy demand last year, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland report found

Wed, 17 Dec, 2025