Analysis and opinion on environmental issues. Updated first of each month.
Latest from COMMENTARY
EEA, Air pollution levels across Europe still not safe, especially for children
Air pollution threats to children’s health
Ciara Brennan, James Orr, Peter Doran, Alison Hough, Dean Blackwood & Laura Neal, ‘Delivering environmental justice in NI and on the island of Ireland: A briefing for the Department of Justice NI’
Overcoming barriers to environmental justice in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with some urgent priorities for the NI Department of Justice
1 Mar 2021Marie Toussaint, “Environmental racism and the quest for justice”
The continuing struggle for environmental justice and against racism
1 Feb 2021Marie-Amélie Brun, “NGO’s access to justice made easier but not guaranteed”
On proposed change to Aarhus regulation that NGOs can only challenge decisions that apply to individuals
1 Jan 2021Jonathan Bonadio and Patrick ten Brink, “An NGO-led, science-based scenario shows the European Union can become climate-neutral by 2040. All that is missing is the political will.”
Study by EEB and Climate Action Network
1 Dec 2020Moisio, M. et al., Overview of recently adopted mitigation policies and climate-relevant policy responses to COVID-19: 2020 update – from PBL et al.
The interplay between recent mitigation policies across all sectors and COVID-19 response measures
1 Nov 2020William Todts, “Think global, act local to transform cities but also the planet”
The idea that cities should be designed for cars is long dead.
1 Oct 2020James FitzGerald, “Home Turf”
Balancing bogs as museums, that present an unrivaled historical and ecological record, and as living landscapes.
1 Sep 2020James FitzGerald, “Agriculture Under Ireland’s New Coalition”
Environmentalists will have to remain vigilant and ensure that the new Irish coalition sharpens its commitments on climate policies impacting agriculture
1 Jul 2020“Uber pollutes more than the cars it replaces – US scientists”
Ride-hailing services like Uber are increasing car travel, climate emissions and traffic congestion, according to a new US study.
2 Jun 2020John Sweeney, “Looking Beyond Our Living Room Window”
How do we protect the earth after the virus crisis has passed. What lessons have we learned.
1 May 2020Riccardo Nigro, “European Commission funding coal lobbyists is unacceptable, it’s time for answers about the RFCS”
An obscure European Commission fund, ‘Research Fund for Coal and Steel’ (RFCS), is incompatible with the EU’s Green Deal and climate ambitions
1 Apr 2020Niall Sargent, “The Green Wave: The Impact on the Next Irish Government.”
The recent Green Wave in Irish politics and how it will affect the formation and operation of the new Irish government
1 Mar 2020Michael Northrop, “The most courageous climate action isn’t national”
While the big GHG emitters, including the United States and China, shunned their responsibility at the Madrid talks, cities, states, regions, businesses, and especially the youth showed courage.
1 Feb 2020PIVOTAL, “Climate and Biodiversity in Northern Ireland”
Current status of Northern Ireland’s climate inaction
1 Jan 2020Jean-Pierre Schweitzer (EEB) and Melissa Zill (ECOS), Climate Action Needs Better Products
A new EU law obliging manufacturers to make home appliances easier to repair has caught global attention
1 Dec 2019Faig Abbasov, “LNG remains a deadend for decarbonising maritime transport”
LNG requires massive investment in bunkering infrastructure and LNG-compatible ships, which cannot deliver carbon-free transport but run the risk of creating stranded assets some of which will be publicly funded.
1 Nov 2019Joe Romm, “One of the world’s largest banks thinks the writing is on the wall for the oil industry”
We think the economics of renewables are impossible for oil to compete with.
1 Oct 2019Frank Convery, Economics and Environment over the past decade – a global perspective
Global progress in the past decade in renewables for electricity production, plus good news from China and EU and bad news from US and Brazil
1 Sep 2019European Commission, “Going Climate Neutral by 2050: A Strategic Long-Term Vision for a Prosperous, Modern, Competitive and Climate Neutral EU Economy”
The Commission’s long-term strategic vision to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, showing how Europe can lead the way to climate neutrality – an economy with net-zero GHG emissions
1 Aug 2019Joe Romm, “Renewables are winning the economics battle against new coal and gas, stunning study shows”
By 2030, wind and solar will undercut existing coal and gas almost everywhere.
1 Jul 2019“Weakening the EU Water Law: Industry’s Wish List”
In Europe, only 40 percent of EU rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands are healthy today, largely due to pressures from industrial agriculture and hydropower, as well as other sectors, such as mining.
1 Jun 2019Joe Romm, “Earth Day founder thinks we’re close to political breakthrough on climate”
Denis Hayes, a principal organizer of first Earth Day, predicts the 50th anniversary in 2020 will be “the largest, most diverse action in human history.”
1 May 2019Dan Gearino, “100% Renewable Energy Needs Lots of Storage. This Polar Vortex Test Showed How Much”
Energy analysts used power demand data from the January deep freeze and wind and solar conditions to find the gaps in an all-renewable power grid
1 Apr 2019