In 2019, the Irish Government demonstrated strong leadership as the second country in the world to declare a climate emergency [1], now it’s time they started acting like we’re in one. As thousands of scientists and communities around the world are saying [2], supporting  any new major oil and gas infrastructure would lock us into fossil fuel energy for 30-40 years and jeopardise our ability to fulfil our current and future climate action commitments and meet critical global warming limits Renewable energy is the future and Ireland has taken major steps towards a cleaner, greener future by banning fracking and new offshore drilling licences for fossil fuels. But right now, ignoring public sentiment and government-commissioned reports [3], the Government is trying to ram through a state import terminal for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), a particularly climate-damaging and polluting fossil fuel. It recently picked a site for the terminal in Co. Clare on the Shannon Estuary. And in an unprecedented power grab, the Minister for Climate,  Darragh O’Brien, is trying to fast-track legislation that would allow him to have the final say on it, instead of the usual bodies - the County Council or An Coimisiún Pleanála.  Then there are the fossil fuel companies that have long been planning to build LNG terminals around  the Irish coast. The door opened wide for these companies to import LNG when the Government ditched a previous policy against importation of fracked gas, as most LNG is from fracked sources. One of these companies - Shannon LNG Ltd, a subsidiary of U.S. Company New Fortress Energy - is at the final stage in its application to An Coimisiún Pleanála for an LNG terminal at Tarbert, Co Kerry on the Shannon Estuary. Fossil fuel companies will continue to seek ways to sidestep and undermine our national efforts to create a fossil fuel-free future in order to sustain their record-breaking profit margins [4]. We need to stop them once and for all by preventing the development of any new LNG infrastructure in Ireland.   With data centre electricity consumption at 22% in 2024 [5], it’s clear that this dirty fuel would be used to facilitate further growth of the energy-hungry data centre industry [6].  When we take action together, we take leaps towards a healthy planet. Working in solidarity the climate movement achieved a nationwide ban on offshore drilling - let's do it again and Keep Ireland LNG Free! What is LNG and why is it so dangerous? LNG is fossil gas which has been turned into a liquid to be transported around the world on tankers. At every stage of its production, it leaks methane, making it hugely climate-damaging [7]. On a full life-cycle basis, it is devastating for the climate, with scientists indicating the emissions footprint of LNG exceeds that of coal by 33 per cent over a 20-year period [8]. LNG is often obtained by fracking, which we banned in Ireland in 2017 because of its appalling environmental and health impacts - including birth defects, respiratory disease and increased cancer rates in local communities [9]. However, if LNG infrastructure is developed in Ireland, we would be unable to control whether the gas arriving in Ireland is fracked or not. LNG terminals could also cause significant health impacts and even pose a risk to life for Irish communities due to air pollution and potential gas leaks and explosions [10]. Increasing our nation’s reliance on LNG fossil fuel energy will further expose us to energy insecurity and price rises, deepening the already severe cost of living crisis. The most secure source of energy for our future is indigenous renewables supported by storage [11], demand reduction and demand management. Renewables are already cheaper than fossil fuels [12] and LNG would threaten investment in renewables by flooding the market with dirty energy [13]. Take action - Keep Ireland LNG Free! Sign the petition to Taoiseach Micheál Martin asking him to keep Ireland LNG free. See Keep Ireland LNG Free Summary Briefing (2025) for more information! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1]Michelle Devane, ‘Ireland becomes second country to declare climate emergency’ (Irish Independent, 10 May 2019) [2] Fergus Green, Olivier Bois von Kursk,Greg Muttitt, Steve Pye, ‘No new fossil fuel projects: The norm we need’ (2024) 384(6699) Climate Policy 954-957 [3] Caroline O'Doherty, ‘Campaigners say Taoiseach’s plans for gas storage facility are not based on latest analysis’ (Irish Independent, 14 February 2025) [4] Shaina Sadai, ‘Fossil Fuel Companies Make Billions in Profit as We Suffer Billions in Losses: 2024 Edition’ (The Equation, 17 April 2024)  [5] Central Statistics Office, ‘Data Centres Metered Electricity Consumption 2024’  [6] Radio Kerry News, ‘8 new data centres part of new plans for Shannon LNG’ (23 June 2021) ; Kevin O’Sullivan, Data centre boom under AI growth in Ireland threatening climate targets, report warns’ (The Irish Times, 10 December 2024)  [7] Kevin Anderson, John Broderick, ‘Natural gas and climate change’ (2017) University of Manchester [8] Robert W. Howarth, ‘The greenhouse gas footprint of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exported from the United States’ (2024) 12(11) Energy Science & Engineering 4843-4859 [9] Environmental Integrity Project, ‘Troubled Waters for LNG: The COVID-19 Recession and Overproduction Derail Dramatic Expansion of Liquefied Natural Gas’ (2020) [10] Rainforest Action Network, A Bridge to Nowhere: The Climate, Human Rights, and Financial Risks of Liquefied Natural Gas Export (2016)  [11] Barry McMullin, Paul Price, James Carton, Kevin Anderson, ‘Is Natural Gas “Essential for Ireland’s Future Energy Security”? A Critical Response to the Irish Academy of Engineering’ (2018)  [12] Mark Dyson,  Chaz Teplin,  Alex Engel,  Grant Glazer, ‘The Growing Market for Clean Energy Portfolios’ (2019) [13] Christine Shearer, John Bistline, Mason Inman and Steven J Davis, ‘The effect of natural gas supply on US renewable energy and CO2 emissions’ (2014) 9 Environmental Research Letters

Part of our climate change goals & ambitions.

The Deer Park (Howth Demense) is a place of outstanding wild beauty with historic, cultural and environmental importance that is at risk of being destroyed. If these lands are rezoned for development, the unique characteristic of the Howth/Sutton peninsula will be changed forever. These lands have provided unquantifiable social benefits to locals, Dubliners, people from all over Ireland and international tourists for generations, no more so than during the recent pandemic when it served as a peaceful haven for physical and mental wellness. They are also home to a diverse environment of wildlife, native trees and shrubs which need further protection. Supporters of this cause recognise the need for housing and Fingal has already zoned 40% more land than its target for residential development in the next five years. Land owners must develop land that has already been zoned for this purpose. In addition to this, Fingal's CEO has emphatically said she supports the current High Amenity (HA) zoning of Howth Castle lands and is opposed to the rezoning of these lands. Please show your support to preserve Howth's unique identity and say no to the rezoning of The Deer Park.

The opening of a dog park in this community would give people a place to safely exercise and play with their dogs. It would provide a space to allow dogs off-lead which is essential for dogs to be socialised, safe and learn friendly play. At the moment there is a lack of spaces for dog owners to be able to safely let their dogs run off lead in public parks. Many of us living in the inner city do not have access to large private gardens to give our dogs a run around and we depend on our beautiful parks. However currently letting a dog off the lead in nearly all DCC parks including Fairview Park is a breach of DCC bye-laws, which can even result in a fine or prosecution! Dogs that are well socialised and exercised are healthier, happier, and less aggressive in behaviour. They are less likely to bark or be destructive or aggressive if they are able to expend pent-up energy during regular play or exercise off the lead. Well socialised and stimulated dogs tend to be much better behaved, happier dogs and dog owners, and this would mean much less rehoming of dogs and dogs surrendered to shelters. A dog park in this area similar to that in St. Annes Park is would be a great step in solving this issue and make the park a happier, safer place for everyone! This petition will be sent to Councillors in Dublin City Council to demand they build a dog park to serve the community. Please send the onto everybody you know who might be interested!

Fracking and drilling pollutes our water, and damages our health. It is expected that the petroleum licencing policy that Minister Lyons will propose to the Executive could open the door for the approval of outstanding drilling and fracking applications in Fermanagh, and in the five council areas of Belfast, Antrim and Newtownabbey, Mid Ulster, Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon, Lisburn and Castlereagh. There is no time for legislation to be passed on fracking and drilling in this Assembly term. It must be stopped at the Executive.

The Limerick Greenway, which opened in July and cost €10M euros, is now the most successful greenway in Ireland with over 250K visitors already. The greenway traverses a green plain under Rooskagh Hill. This region has huge potential for tourism and could create a multiple of the estimated 200 jobs created in Mayo on the back of their fabulous greenway. It is similar in size to Limerick and visitor numbers are comparable. A dual carriageway through the plain and the greenway will stunt any further growth in amenities and jobs. We believe Limerick County Council; Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the Department of Transport have chosen it not because it is the best route to alleviate traffic congestion in and around Newcastle West but purely because they think that it is achievable in the time frame that they must spend the funds promised and also allows them to circumvent future restrictions from the EU in relation to climate control. We want to raise awareness of this flawed decision and try and reverse it before it is too late. The process to date has evolved side by side with the Covid pandemic and the authorities have been able to move swiftly without entertaining any real democratic questioning. Zoom calls with pre-prepared scripts has been the order of the day. The whole planning, implementation and engagement of this process has been rushed and expedited. Most local politicians appear to be repeating the same mantra as the council and there is a clear democratic deficit here. It is left up to ordinary citizens to voice their concern through the media and other channels such as this petition. https://www.facebook.com/protectlimerickgreenway [email protected]

Already quarrying has destroyed 150 meters of the Iron Age linear earthwork known as the Black Pigs Race or Dyke. There is also a prehistoric enclosure and pre-famine potato ridges on the Mountain.

The more young people who sign in support, the more we can pressure our decision makers to implement these demands.

Big business are producing more, not less emissions and are making the climate crisis worse. Government decisions are letting them off the hook and pushing the burden for the climate crisis on to regular people, not the corporations who drive it.

Toilets are an important public amenity which serve our most basic bodily functions. Access to public toilets isn't just a matter of convenience, it's a matter of dignity and social equality. Mayo's beaches are visited and used all year round, by a wide variety of people, engaged in a multitude of activities, and in all types of weather. People do not stop using the beaches during the Winter. In fact, for many people, the quieter Winter months are a more enjoyable time to visit the beach than during the peak Summer period. Why, then, does Mayo County Council deny access to public toilets at our beaches for half the year? In early October the toilets are locked up, the public bins are removed, and beach users are left without these basic facilities until the following April or May. For some people, access to a public toilet is simply about convenience - it's not necessarily a deal-breaker - but for many more people, a public toilet can be a determining factor in whether they visit a public amenity such as a beach. Women, disabled people, older people, people with children, and many others in our society are unfairly impacted by a lack of public toilets. Where these facilities exist, such as at our beaches, they should be accessible all year round. To be frank, the people least affected by the lack of public toilets are non-disabled men, who can pretty much pee wherever they like (and who don't have a menstrual cycle). For everyone else, if there's no public toilet available, there's a calculation to be made: How long can I spend in this place before I'll need to pee? Can I visit at all? Should I risk my dignity, and potentially my personal safety, by squatting somewhere out-of-the-way just to pee? By denying these facilities for half the year, Mayo County Council is effectively closing the beaches to a broad section of our society, and this is not equitable or acceptable. We call on Mayo County Council to immediately reopen the public toilets at all our beaches, and to keep these essential facilities open all year round.

82% of the Irish people support neutrality in all its aspects.

We need your support: Please sign the petition below! Finding it hard to sleep at night with light glare from street lighting coming into your bedroom? The County Council are going to be upgrading the current street lights in Cloughjordan village and will soon consult with the local community on the type of new lighting arrangements to install. This is your chance to have the kind of lighting you really want installed in your village. We aim to submit a letter to the County Council on behalf of people in the local community, to request that the Council: - Install lights with a warm (Amber) colour temperature with an upper limit of (no more than) 2700 kelvin. - Install light shields or hooded lights with more focused lighting, (thereby improving security by reducing glare through targeted lighting and reducing the impact of light pollution). Why are we making the above request? There is an opportunity here for Cloughjordan village to get smart, modern, high standard, well-designed lighting installed that reduces glare into our houses and bedrooms and yet still keeps our streets safe at night. The right kind of well-designed lighting can help reduce light pollution, helping to protect our health and that of the environment. The upper brightness limit we are asking for will be similar to the existing brightness level of the current sodium lighting on the main street but will have a softer effect as the new lighting will be LED, where 2700 kelvin is on the warmer scale of lighting. Also, if the lights are shielded, as we are requesting, the light is targeted to the ground where it is needed, and doesn’t get wasted in glare. This has been shown to improve security by eliminating the excessive glare that often ‘blinds’ people looking into overly bright street lighting. The truth is that better design equals better and safer lighting. Why be concerned about light pollution? Light pollution is Harmful for our health: Current scientific studies suggest that artificial light at night negatively affects human health by increasing our risks for sleep disorders, depression, diabetes and more. It is proven that artificial lights directly interrupt our circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock, running in the background to carry out essential functions whilst we sleep: the sleep-wake cycle. Some of these processes include brain wave patterns, hormone production, cell regulation, and other biologic activities. Disruption of the circadian clock is known to have a significant correlation to several medical disorders in humans including depression, insomnia, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Light pollution is harmful to nature: Plants and Animals depend on earth’s daily light and dark cycle to govern life-sustaining behaviours. For hundreds of millions of years, the web of life on earth has been dependent on day and night, light and dark. Research shows that artificial light at night has adverse and even deadly effects on many species. Researchers have already identified harmful impacts on a huge array of species including bats, insects, plants, fish, turtles, marine corals and even primates. Overlighting wastes energy we can’t afford to waste: It is estimated that at least 20% of light is wasted by unshielded and/or poorly aimed outdoor lighting which is about 3 billion euros per years’ worth of energy lost in sky glow. As much as 50% of outdoor lighting globally is wasted, which increases greenhouse gas emissions, contributes to climate change, and renders us all energy-dependent. To offset all that carbon dioxide, we’d have to plant about 875 million trees annually!