Eirgrid and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities have stated that if new data centres are built without new electricity generation and "demand side flexibility", we will have blackouts. The new generation being proposed is primarily fossil gas based. The flexibility being discussed is primarily through the data centres installing private fossil fuel generation (rather than batteries/other energy storage/ real time demand flexibility). We need to pause all new data centre development, and pause expansion of existing data centres, until we can guarantee that it will not cause new fossil fuel generation, ie it will not force the grid to procure more fossil fuel generation and infrastructure, and it will not involve data-centre-owned fossil fuel generation. We also need to call at EU level for all data centres to be located in places where it is feasible for the centres to be 100% renewable powered in real time (not through "guarantees of origin" / "green certificates"). Data centres consume a lot of energy, and there are a large number of new data centre proposals being made for Ireland. For example, the proposed data centre in Ennis would have a 200 MW load - equivalent to the electricity consumption of approximately 210,000 homes, which is the number of homes in Clare, Limerick and Kerry combined. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) recently issued a consultation paper recommending that data centres be obliged to adhere to “connection measures” (i.e. to be flexible in their timing of use of grid electricity), in order to prevent black outs. However, the paper fails to adequately address climate change, and fails to clearly distinguish between a) flexibility through storage, b) flexibility through matching real time electricity usage to the timing of the wind and sun, and c) flexibility through private data-centre operated fossil fuel generation. The first two are compatible with decarbonisation, the last is not. There are two big issues in electricity decarbonisation: increasing the quantity of renewables, and managing intermittency (e.g. energy storage and demand response). Quantity of renewable supply: We need a lot more renewable generation on the grid to replace existing fossil fuels and to enable transfer of heating and transport from fossil fuel to decarbonised electricity. Grid stability, storage and timing: Many renewables, such as wind and solar, cannot be timed or turned up and down at will. To avoid using fossil fuels as backup when there is low wind and sun, and to avoid wasting renewable energy when there is surplus supply from wind and sun, we need to use more when it is available and use less when it is not (i.e. real-time demand response), and we need to store renewable energy when it is available, for use when it is not. Just transition: We need to manage the transition to more renewables, better storage and timing of electricity use, in a way which prioritises essential needs and the most vulnerable, and uses the electricity we have more efficiently. Current data centre plans = more fossil fuel generation. Many current data centre plans, including the Ennis plan, involve either the data centre installing it’s own large-scale fossil fuel generation, or the grid being forced to procure fossil fuel generation to keep up with the data centre’s demand whenever it wants it. The greenwash trap. We need to be careful of data centres (and other businesses) claiming they are 100% renewable because they have purchased “guarantees of origin”/"green certificates". These are credits from renewable suppliers which are not even connected to the electricity grid the data centre is connected to, and which are not producing electricity at the time it is being used by the data centre. This is smoke-and-mirrors greenwash and doesn't do anything to prevent the Irish grid using fossil fuels. Instead, we need to focus on the "carbon intensity" of the grid they are using (the Irish grid), at the time they are using it. Carbon intensity means grams of CO2 equivalent emitted per kWh of electricity produced, and it can vary substantially according to the wind. Data centres should be required to use or store electricity when the carbon intensity is low, and minimise their use of the grid when there is a shortage of renewables like wind or solar. The true carbon intensity of electricity imports over inter-connectors should also be accounted for. Demands to data centres: Pre-conditions which should be set out for new data centre proposals or proposals to expand existing data centres: * No new fossil fuel burning infrastructure should be installed to power data centres, either on or off site, either owned and operated by the data centre owner/operator or otherwise * Data centres should be required to invest in renewable energy generation either on-site, or close by, on the grid it is connected to, and locate in places where it is feasible to generate sufficient energy from renewables. * Data centres should be required to consume grid electricity at times when there is plentiful wind or other renewable energy on the grid relative to demand, and not at other times, through investment in energy storage. * Data centres should not be allowed to run “mining” of bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, which consume huge energy resources and have been banned in some jurisdictions already. * Data centres should be required to transparently report on the types of services they provide to different sectors for different purposes, and in the event of power shortages, be capable of rationing data centre services which are non-essential to society without shutting down essential services

For some years now, Fingal Council has shown very little interest in keeping a clean environment around the Broadmeadow Estuary catchment area. Volunteers in "Swords Pickers" were able to remove truck loads of dumped rubbish from Ward River Valley Park and Broadmeadow Estuary in the first half of 2021 alone. If something is not done to fundamentally correct this, plastic & other waste will continue to travel from the parkland in Swords, through the Estuary and out into the Irish Sea. Development of either the full size all-weather playing pitch and/or the Broadmeadow Greenway in 2021 will obviously add to the problem by multiplying volumes of human traffic.

The Limerick - Nenagh - Ballybrophy Railway is a vital piece of national rail infrastructure but it needs a more holistic approach to investment and upgrading in order to deliver a proper service that will attract passengers. Public transport throughout the Midwest region is not good enough. I would hope people throughout the Midwest and supporters of the rail network throughout Ireland would support our campaign. Our requests are not unreasonable, they are modest practical requests that would massively improve the services available on the line. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

The Hawthorn tree has been an important part of Irish life since time began and appears in many of our ancient legends and folklore. The haw, or fruit of the Hawthorn can be eaten and was often referred to as the poor man's apple or fairy apple possibly due to the fact it resembles a tiny apple. The connection to fairies continues with lone Hawthorns in fields being called The Fairy Tree and so being protected by the landowners. They also appear at many of the Holy Wells around the country. The Hawthorn is particularly spectacular in May/June when it is in full bloom and is a stunning feature on the landscape quite as spectacular as the Cherry Blossom is in Japan which is celebrated there and rightly so. We should honour the Hawthorn in the same manner. By acknowledging the Hawthorn we will keep the stories alive while also helping towards reminding us to protect our biodiversity as Hawthorns grow in our hedgerows and are home and food for many of our native creatures. By making it our national flowering tree we can educate our people on biodiversity, heritage and culture and use her beauty to attract visitors during the months of May and June.

Fashion chains are responsible for ensuring their workers are paid living wages, work in a safe environment and receive sufficient rest periods between work. However, fast fashion chains like Primark and H&M are notorious for sourcing their clothes from factories that provide none of the above. Dunnes Stores has a similar fast fashion model, yet unlike many other large retailers, has no information on its website regarding where it's clothes come from and how their garment workers are treated. The Clean Clothes Campaign estimates that garment workers in India and Bangladesh are paid, on average, 2-5 times less than is needed to live with dignity. Poor working conditions also endanger the lives of workers. In the case of the 2013 collapse of the Dhaka garment factory in Rana Plaza, Bangladesh, over 1,000 people died due to shockingly poor implementation of building safety standards. Some of Dunnes' clothes are made in Bangladesh yet it was one of the few retailers who failed to sign the Fire and Safety Accord in 2013 to improve factory conditions in the country. The sustainability of fast fashion retailers is also coming under increased scrutiny as the climate crisis accelerates. The fashion industry produces 10% of the world's carbon emissions. Two key factors in this are clothes waste caused by excess production and use of unsustainable fabrics. Retailers like Dunnes must take responsibility for sustainably and ethically sourcing the clothes they sell. If not, we as consumers must hold them responsible for the sake of our future.

South William street has received an unfair treatment after being only partially pedestrianised although it received 95% public and local businesses support for full pedestrianisation during the trail last summer and 97% during the consultation in November. This decision to support partial pedestrianisation was made after Brown Thomas car park refused to compromise and redirect its traffic onto Clarendon Street, although this worked perfectly fine during the pedestrianisation trail last summer. Partial pedestrianisation doesn’t make any sense! If you have you been on South William street on a busy Saturday or Sunday afternoon, you know that it looks and feels incredible, the energy is fantastic. However the footpaths are just too narrow, the street gets congested, traffic is not moving, air pollution is trapped in between beautiful tall Georgian buildings. The survival of hundreds of small local businesses and the health and safety of our public is now at stake. It's time to make the changes! We need to act like a modern European city that is evolving and needs space to breathe. Streets are for people! Innovative change is needed for the city centre. Please sign this petition to show your support for full pedestrianisation of South William street.

We are in a climate emergency and Ireland has the highest transport emissions per capita in the EU. This project to increase capacity for more motorists on the M11 was dreamed up in 2018 as part of the last government's road expansion programme. It is a proposal that denies the seriousness of the climate crisis. This project has not entered the design phase yet so there is still time to cancel it and divert the remaining funds into solutions that will actually work to decrease congestion, decrease Ireland's transport emissions and decrease all of the other effects of releasing tens of thousands more cars onto the roads of the greater Dublin area every day. Email the Minister for Transport and Climate Action to let him know that you think this is disastrous for our climate ambitions: [email protected] If you live in Wicklow, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown or Wexford, contact your local TDs and councillors to let them know that this money would be better spent on public transport which would provide lasting improvements for commuting and for quality of life: https://www.whoismytd.com Further reading: "New road capacity attracts new drivers. In the short term, people who had previously been discouraged from using congested roads start to use them." https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-does-building-and-expanding-motorways-really-reduce-congestion-and-emissions-147024 "for every 1 percent increase in highway capacity, traffic increases 0.29 to 1.1 percent in the long term (about five years out), and up to 0.68 percent in the short term (one or two years)." https://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/06/21/the-science-is-clear-more-highways-equals-more-traffic-why-are-dots-still-ignoring-it/ "But even after spending €1 billion on these works, the M50 will remain as congested as ever, as the National Roads Authority (NRA) has conceded." (2006) https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/building-new-roads-won-t-solve-m50-traffic-problem-1.1014217

Every year thousands of Wild Atlantic Salmon are netted and killed in Castlemaine Harbour by Legal State Regulated nets. With Atlantic Salmon at critical levels and to legally license nets to kill our Native Salmon is beyond unacceptable. Castlemaine Harbour is an SAC which means Atlantic Salmon are a qualifying interest. Nets operate all over the Harbour, some are licensed to operate in Cromane, others in the mouths of very important rivers like the Laune and the Maine. The Behy river, Caragh River and the Emalgh river are all affected by nets operating in Cromane. Inland Fisheries Ireland, the state body in charge of protecting our Salmon in Ireland, authorise a mixed stock fishery in Castlemaine Harbour. In 2019 the number of salmon netted in the river Laune was 1,539 and in Cromane it was 549. There is reason to believe that many more Salmon are caught illegally also by not being tagged when caught in nets. Inland Fisheries Ireland admit that Salmon numbers are decreasing every year so why allow these nets to continue killing Salmon year in and year out. We put alot of pressure on this issue last year and it will be the same this year. Its an environmental disaster and our government is at fault. They are the ones leasing the nets so they can continue to destroy our beautiful rivers. This practice is not only continued in Castlemaine Harbour but continues all over Ireland. We want to concentrate first on Castlemaine because we believe that the Maine river is under serious stress and the figures collected by the Inland Fisheries Ireland are falsified to keep the fishery open. I wont be going nowhere, netting starts in May and we start now, get sharing and signing. Tight lines. Daniel

What if we made Greystones & Delgany greener, healthier and wilder? What if we were the first region in Ireland to create biosecurity by 2026? We can all be part of a legacy we can be proud of: handing over to our children and future generations an area that is climate-resilient and supports our wildlife to live alongside us. Please support this petition and we will bring it to the Government and Wicklow County Council to transform Greystones & Delgany (and North Wicklow). Greystones & Delgany are currently undergoing a frenzy of development, with new housing estates approved and planted in every available field left. Not only is the infrastructure (roads, public transport links, schools, healthcare, etc.) not keeping up, but nature is taking a huge hit. So what if the answer to overdevelopment was to create a Community Nature Reserve – a gift to current and future generations? Following 2 years of research by Eoin Llewellyn here are key realistic projects that can be implemented to rehabilitate nature. • Expand the Glen of the Downs on both sides of the Three-Trout stream with permanent native forest. • Return Kindlestown Forest to permanent native woodland (under the Government's new Project Woodland and/or Coillte's Millenium Forests programme) as each Sitka spruce plot is harvested, and link it to the Glen of the Downs SAC (Special Area of Conservation). • Relist and protect the Bronze Age hillforts of Coolagad (Kindlestown) and Downshill, ahead of the millennial anniversary of the Battle of Delgany 1022. (see Yasmin Fortune's research on www.glenodownsheritage.com) • Create 20-meter wide riparian ways and a nature reserve along the full course of the Three-Trout Stream, with green link path for people to walk and/or cycle to school and work. (see Eoin Llewellyn's research https://www.mywildireland.ie/projects/ • Add chestnut fencing and a raised boardwalk on South Beach to protect coastal flora and dune grasses from collapse, plus nature signage indicating plants and insects present. • Create a coastal nature reserve on 2 fields east of the railway line above the North Beach, thus extending Bray Head SAC (Special Area of Conservation) into Greystones. If this Nature Reserve was to see the light of day, Greystones & Delgany would become the first biosecure area in Ireland by 2026! At a time when successive lockdowns have highlighted the dire need for green spaces near urban centers, Greystones & Delgany could become a flagship example of a town living in harmony with nature, and a template to be replicated across the county and country. As the next County Development Plan is being drafted, let's change the story of Greystones & Delgany - from a town besieged by suburban sprawl, to a place where a greener, healthier and wilder future is possible. See - https://www.mywildireland.ie/projects/

The GAA have already been sold public land for development which included conditions and contributions that haven't been fully met by the GAA including providing public lighting along The Marina. This park was intended be kept as a green space including a children's play area which has also not materialised. There has been considerable loss of habitat already due to development and building further on public land should be outright refused. Surrounding areas suffer greatly from significant traffic and illegal parking on match days, however provision of 124 extra spaces should not and will not be for public use during match days. Offering alternatives to people driving to the stadium should be the first priority. Solutions include better walking and cycling routes on match days such as road closures for non-locals and/or a GAA funded shuttle bus from the city centre. As the stadium is a 30 minute walk from the city there should be no extra motor vehicles being diverted towards the area. A "fan zone" with food trucks can be setup on the existing parking and paved space that exists on the Eastern side of the stadium should it be needed.

Courts in Ecuador found that Chevron-Texaco had deliberately dumped 16 billion gallons of cancer-causing toxic oil waste into the rainforest, causing a cancer epidemic that has killed thousands and has decimated five indigenous nations who are teetering on the brink of extinction. They inflicted death and devastation on communities of people and wildlife that no fair-minded Irish person would ever tolerate. “The oil companies came to these pristine forests, backed by our own government. They took what they wanted and wiped-out cultures, completely disregarded the Indigenous people, killed animals and ruined sacred places. In the end, the people couldn’t do anything about it because they couldn’t speak the language of the people destroying their lives! The same destruction is still going on to this day.” Nina Gualinga, Indigenous campaigner for Ecuador Amazon Watch. Nina Gualinga, an indigenous environmental and human rights warrior from Ecuador. https://amazonwatch.org/news/2016/0715-toxic-tour Then, they fled Ecuador after a court had ordered them to pay $US9.5 billion in compensation to local communities. Ever since, they have threatened the communities they violated with a ‘lifetime of litigation’ unless they dropped the case. They have attacked their victims with retaliatory lawsuits. In the face of their inexcusable and catastrophic impact on the planet, fossil fuel companies like Chevron-Texaco are desperate for a ‘social-licence’ to operate. In parallel with their human-rights abuses in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Texaco were cynically running a ‘Children’s Art Competition’ here in Ireland while at the same time they were destroying children’s lives in the Amazon. The legacy of that destruction continues to this day. There can be no place for fossil fuel companies like Texaco in Children’s Art or Sports in Ireland. Join the growing number of major arts institutions and museums around the world who have severed their ties with major oil companies like Texaco.

Investor Court System (ICS) is a dispute settlement tribunal where foreign investors and corporations can take a case against Ireland for 'perceived' breaches in CETA’s investment protection standards. It allows investors to go straight to these special tribunals and sideline domestic courts and those of the European Union. Once CETA is ratified, investor court decisions cannot be challenged by either the State or the EU - this is the equivalent of handing corporations a blank cheque! Local communities and businesses across Ireland are fighting back. Together we are showing government parties and politicians that this form of corporate takeover is going to cost them dearly in the next election. And we need our local politicians to stand with us by supporting this. For more info on CETA ICS, check out this fact checker: https://comhlamh.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CETA-ICS-Fact-Checker.pdf