An analysis by WWF shows that over the past nine years fisheries ministers have only followed scientific advice in 13 per cent of their decisions; and set fishing quotas on average 45 per cent higher than the recommended scientific advice. This means that ministers have approved fishing of 6.2 million extra tons of fish, in … Read more
NUI Galway has officially launched a new Masters Programme in Rural Sustainability. The full-time, one year postgraduate programme is being co-ordinated by the Discipline of Geography within the School of Geography and Archaeology, and it already has a full complement of students in place for the first year of its operation. The MA in Rural … Read more
New environmental rules on marine fuels, which are now in force, have been devised to substantially reduce air pollution and its impacts on human health. Air pollutants from maritime shipping are transported over long distances and as a result contribute increasingly to the air quality problems in many European cities. Without any action, sulphur emissions … Read more
The Government has announced a grant scheme to provide financial assistance to households whose septic tanks and other domestic waste water treatment systems, require remediation or upgrading following inspection under the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012. Inspections are expected to commence in 2013 and will be based on a national inspection plan currently being finalised … Read more
Details have been announced of a major strategic plan for the future development and management of marine-related industry and tourism along Ireland’s largest estuary, the Shannon Estuary. The land and marine-based plan, the first of its type to be developed in the country, has been commissioned by a multi-agency steering group comprising Clare County Council … Read more
The British Government has announced that exploratory hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale gas can resume in the UK, subject to new controls to mitigate the risks of seismic activity. To date there has been no commercial shale gas production in the UK. Exploratory fracking has been suspended since May 2011 after two small seismic tremors … Read more
A Review of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process in Ireland, commissioned by the EPA, has found that it has proven to be a vital tool for environmental protection. SEA is the process by which environmental considerations are integrated into Plans and Programmes across a broad range of sectors including energy, fisheries, industry, telecommunications, water … Read more
The European Union has welcomed the outcome of the Doha climate conference which lays the basis for more ambitious international action against climate change in the short term, paves the way for a new global climate agreement to be finalised in 2015 and enables a second period of the Kyoto Protocol to start on 1 … Read more
FTSE Group (FTSE), a leading global index provider and pioneer in responsible investment, has launched the Sir Mervyn Pedelty Award to recognise companies which have made the most significant improvements to the sustainability of their businesses in recent years. The inaugural winner is Unilever, with Go-Ahead, Intel and Diageo highly commended. FTSE created the award … Read more
The UK Green Investment Bank plc (UK GIB) is now officially open for business and has announced two new investments. The ground breaking institution has been funded with £3 billion of Government money and will mobilise additional private capital to make a significant contribution to the development of a green economy. UK GIB’s first investment … Read more