This tree is 270 years old and it was always there. It won't fall suddenly itself. Despite the risk assesed with its condition the alternative for allowing the tree to decay naturally could be reavulated and taken into consideration.(e.g. providing supporting construction to the tree). Trees are essential to our existence. They provide us with oxygen, reduce carbon and give life to the world's wildlife. Saving our trees will reduce greenhouse gases, protect our wildlife and bees, and make sure our environment and communities can be enjoyed by future generations.

The crisis of plastic pollution is reaching a tipping point with plastic pollution set to double by 2030. We need to take drastic action to reduce the amount of plastic in our environment. Individuals are making efforts to reduce their own consumption of plastics. Now it’s time for businesses to show a willingness to tackle this problem. Back in May 2019 Cllr Madeline Johansson got a motion passed in South Dublin County Council on our behalf calling on SDCC to implement an environmental rating system for local businesses, similar to a hygiene rating system. Unfortunatley there has been no action by SDCC to date. Please sign our petition to pressure on SDCC to act and implement an environmental rating system for businesses so that we can try to combat plastic pollution.

We have 21 species of Bumblebee and 77 Solitary Bee species in Ireland and one-third of our bee species are at risk of extinction. One in three spoonfuls of our food is pollinated by bees; in a world without bees and other natural pollinators, we won't have enough food to feed the world.

Northern Ireland is home to many rare and endangered species of bee. It supports the largest population in the UK of Northern Colletes, a priority conservation species. Yet, conservation charity Buglife NI says that 21 species are at risk of extinction unless action is taken.

TO HELP CLIMATE CHANGE AND STOP ILLEGAL DUMPING

Fines for polluters in Northern Ireland are miniscule. In February Mash Direct were fined only £2,000 for illegal discharge to the sewer network in Northern Ireland which was described by NI Water as showing 'complete disrespect for the sewer network'. In 2016, a renewables company which ran an unauthorised anaerobic digester that caused a fish kill in a a tributary of an important salmon river was fined only £1,600.

Now that the election is over we have time to evaluate how we canvass during elections. Many posters have been defaced or destroyed by strong winds rendering them only suitable for landfill. Before everyone runs out to get more printed how about we reassess our position? We could have central display boards in every town and village where all candidates can display one A4 poster. These notice boards could be in libraries, petrol stations, community centres, health centres and other places willing to display all candidates. We could have a webpage per county with all candidates information and online links. We have the ability to imagine new ways of doing things that don't have such a negative impact on our environment. Let's do it! To Clare County Council please pass a motion to ban election posters, dedicate a webpage for candidates, identify noticeboards and collaborate or host participatory workshops to gather ideas with a view to moving away from election posters.

We now have less than 10 years to reverse the climate emergency. The solutions to climate change are good for all our other issues with * cleaner air * warmer homes * smaller energy bills *better public transport * localised economies * organic food * biodiverse gardens * rich wildlife areas * seas teaming with fish and other marine animals * a more equal society. Let Ireland lead the world on this.

Climatologists agree that climate change is unprecedented. The most important climatic forces responsible for change come from human activity. The main activity is the burning of fossil fuels, of which the use of passenger cars is an important factor. We ordinary citizens can have a radical and effective influence on climate change. A gradual shift to complex social problems occurs in one way. Mass popular movements. Let's tell the automakers what we want to give up. Many people have to make sacrifices for change to occur. Send a message saying clearly that you are giving up on gasoline cars. Some builders go in that direction, but very slowly. And it is not enough! We will send a real message of change. They refuse to buy another car or truck with gasoline. It is consumer demand that dictates what is produced and what is sold, not car manufacturers. Let's tell them what we want. An electric vehicle that can be powered by renewable energy sources. Sign this petition and commit, along with many others, to the decision not to buy cars. We are determined to contribute to a stable climate and a better future for our families, friends and communities.

This project will cause the complete destruction of one of the most historical and environmentally important areas in Ireland. Our aim is to protect our beautiful community and the families living within it. We want to raise awareness and give the people a voice. We are not against renewable energy, however, we will not stand for the environmental and archaeological destruction Ireland's Ancient East. Our Main Concerns: Noise Pollution - The proposed turbines will tower a mere 500 meters from the front doors of local residents. The noise of turbines of such scale would be unbearable for the many families who have lived on the peaceful untouched hillside for generations. Flicker Effect - The flickering shadow cast by the sun shining through the moving turbines would affect houses all across the area over an estimated distance of up to 2km. Destruction of Historical Sites and Monuments - The proposed development site is not only home to a Stone Circle, a number of Ringforts, Cairns, a Mound Barrow and an Ogham Stone, but is also home to one of Ireland's oldest graveyards and resting place of Sam McAllister. Environmental Impact - The devastation caused in the past by the construction of these gigantic wind turbines in Scotland and Galway, to name a few, has had a detrimental effect on the local environment. Not only was visible damage inflicted on the landscape, but also irreparable damage to the source of natural water supplies, the effects of which are still ongoing. Property Devaluation - Properties in the area and the surrounding areas will severely suffer as a result of the destruction of our natural environment, making many houses unsaleable. We need your support to save Kilranelagh hill in the heart of the Garden of Ireland. These lands must be protected for our future generations. If we don't put a stop to this now who is to say where this will ever stop.

Hedgerows are crucial to maintain wildlife diversity and to establish habitats. Driving Irish country roads what was once lush with hedgerow has now become something short of pure destruction, our entire roadside wildlife is being destroyed.

The climate crisis is entirely different from all other issues in this general election campaign. It is global in scope, raising genuine existential risk for the stability of all human civilisation within the lifetime of young people already of voting age. It transcends and dwarfs the other issues: there can be no enduring solution to housing, healthcare, education, economic development, peace or justice unless there is a successful response to the climate crisis. For Ireland to now play even its minimal fair share in such a global response would require fundamental and disruptive changes in current political priorities. It is utterly impossible to do justice to this issue without a full debate devoted exclusively to it, and driven by an audience selected explicitly to represent future generations who are entirely reliant on the decisions being made now. "We need to focus every inch of our being on climate change. Because if we fail to do so, then all of our achievements and progress will be for nothing. And all that will remain of our political leaders’ legacy will be the greatest failure of human history. And they will be remembered as the greatest villains of all time because they have chosen not to listen and not to act." - Greta Thunberg, speech to the European Economic and Social Committee, February 2019. [Note: This is now a joint/merged petition based on two similar but independent initiatives. The first was created by Nikki Ffrench Davis, the second by Barry McMullin.] [Image credit: sculpture by Isaac Cordal, "Follow the leaders," Berlin, Germany, April 2011.]