# Climate Change

Last year

2022

# european heatwave

Spain wildfire forces hundreds to evacuate as land destroyed

The fire was raging in the Aragon region where around 300 firefighters are trying to contain the blaze.

37.8k

Updated

Aug 14th 2022, 7:21 PM

# debunked

Debunked: It is misleading to claim that 30-degree heat is 'normal' during an Irish summer

Social media users suggest that climate change has been exaggerated in recent weather reports.

27.8k

Aug 13th 2022, 1:00 PM

THE MORNING LEAD

Government urged to hasten payments for surplus solar power ahead of feared energy shortages

A report by

Lauren Boland

Homes, farms and businesses will soon be able to sell surplus renewable energy back to the grid but have been waiting months for details.

Industry experts and Opposition politicians have said that the scheme should have been rolled out quickly and widely.

Most energy suppliers have not yet started payments but are planning to do so in the coming weeks and months, Lauren Boland reports.

32.6k

Aug 13th 2022, 12:05 AM

# hot hot hot

Carlow hits 31.7 degrees to provisionally break Ireland's all-time August high temperature record

The mercury hit 30.5 degrees in Carlow yesterday.

56.0k

Updated

Aug 12th 2022, 4:50 PM

# No rain

Drought declared for parts of England after driest summer in 50 years

The change could lead to more measures such as hosepipe bans.

12.0k

Aug 12th 2022, 1:46 PM

# Climate Change

Houses are built to keep heat in and that's a problem during heatwaves, especially in cities

Heatwaves will become more frequent and intense as climate change worsens.

Irish buildings and homes are generally built to hold in heat rather than stay well ventilated and cool in the summer.

This is increasingly becoming a problem as temperatures rise.

UCD planning professor says more emphasis should be put on adapting buildings to deal with higher heat.

24.7k

Aug 12th 2022, 12:05 AM

# high heat

Status Yellow: Warning for hot weekend as Carlow temperature tops 30 degrees

The high temperature warning will be in place for Leinster and Munster until 6am on Sunday.

109k

Aug 11th 2022, 9:38 PM

# cooperation

Six EU countries send firefighters to help battle French wildfires

361 foreign firefighters were dispatched to assist their 1,100 French colleagues deployed in the worst-hit part of the French southwest.

13.1k

Aug 11th 2022, 7:33 PM

# Climate Change

2022 had lowest extent of Antarctic sea ice on record for any July

Arctic sea ice cover meanwhile was 4% lower than average.

9.8k

Aug 9th 2022, 1:41 PM

# heating up

Temperatures to stay in the 20s for most of this week ahead of possible heatwave

Met Éireann said this week will be sunny and dry for the most part across the country.

21.5k

Aug 8th 2022, 9:37 AM

# peatlands

Government approves €75,000 funding for Abbeyleix Bog restoration

Restored peatlands play an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change.

16.5k

Aug 8th 2022, 8:24 AM

# CLIMATE CRISIS

US Senate passes key legislation aimed at tackling climate change

US Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote after an all-night session.

7.0k

Aug 8th 2022, 7:22 AM

# renewables

Wind energy has provided 34% of Ireland’s power this year

July saw a two-fold increase in demand met by wind compared with the same period last year.

22.5k

Aug 8th 2022, 7:07 AM

# California

Receding floodwater lets police evacuate people trapped in US Death Valley

It nearly equaled the record for rainfall in a single day in the valley.

40.3k

Updated

Aug 6th 2022, 7:43 PM

# Agriculture

Citizens’ assembly on agriculture the wrong model, says farming group

The Labour Party has proposed a citizens’ assembly be held on the future of agriculture and food production.

11.2k

Aug 6th 2022, 12:27 PM

# all together now

'Singing from the same climate hymn sheet': Met Éireann to level playing field of Irish data

A new project is trying to bring existing work on climate data by other organisations under one roof.

19.8k

Aug 6th 2022, 9:00 AM

THE MORNING LEAD

Why heatwaves hit harder in cities - and how to combat rising temperatures

A report by

Céimin Burke

Ireland’s ageing and increasingly urban population means more people will be at risk from heat in the years ahead.

27.2k

Aug 1st 2022, 12:05 AM

Voices

Climate activist: 'As we humans adapt to heatwaves, the quiet death of nature continues'

Irish climate activist Jessica Dunne says she fears this beautiful planet is running out of time.

14.4k

Jul 31st 2022, 7:30 AM

# United States

Death toll from Kentucky floods rises to 25, with more fatalities expected

Torrential rain earlier this week caused unprecedented flash flooding in the east of the state.

16.0k

Updated

Jul 30th 2022, 5:45 PM

# lack of the tie-tans

Spanish Prime Minister tells nation to avoid ties to save on air-con energy

Feeling a little more comfortable would save energy if it resulted in less air conditioning being used, he said.

35.2k

Jul 29th 2022, 9:33 PM

# Greenhouse Gases

Greenwashing would be 'worst sin' and 'biggest risk' to Irish agriculture, says Eamon Ryan

After long discussions, the government agreed yesterday 25% reduction in agriculture emissions by 2030.

17.8k

Jul 29th 2022, 2:04 PM

# Your Say

Poll: Is a 25% cut in agricultural emissions high enough?

The figure is among several targets set for sectors of society with the aim of reducing emissions by 51% by 2030.

25.8k

Jul 29th 2022, 9:35 AM

# Climate Change

Emissions targets set by government 'problematic', climate watchdog warns

The statement added that Land Use Sector emissions must also be urgently addressed, but are currently excluded from the targets.

12.5k

Jul 29th 2022, 7:12 AM

# emission cuts

Agriculture was the sticking point, but what are the emissions targets for all sectors?

While agriculture was a sticking point in recent days, the government came to an agreement yesterday.

17.4k

Updated

Jul 29th 2022, 7:10 AM

# Transport

'Ridiculously low': Just 33 public EV charge points in 3 counties approved under govt scheme

The scheme was first announced in 2019.

28.1k

Jul 29th 2022, 12:05 AM

# Deal

Challenging but achievable: Govt announces 25% emission reduction target for agriculture sector

Weeks of negotiations were not completed before yesterday’s final Cabinet meeting of the summer.

The government previously set out a 22-30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions target for the agriculture sector.

Farming groups pushed for a target at the lower end but climate experts say close to 30% is needed to meet overall emissions targets.

The EPA said last week that Ireland’s 2021 greenhouse gas emissions increased compared to the previous year.

53.6k

139

Updated

Jul 28th 2022, 8:15 PM

# CLIMATE CRISIS

NGOs alarmed as Earth hits annual 'overshoot day'

The date marks a tipping point when people have used up “all that ecosystems can regenerate in one year”.

23.0k

Jul 28th 2022, 8:45 AM

# Crunch time

'We're still working on it': Cabinet ends without agreement on agriculture emissions target

Negotiations between the two departments are set to continue on tomorrow.

43.5k

133

Updated

Jul 27th 2022, 8:37 PM

Voices

Fire chief: Last week we witnessed the arrival of climate change in Britain

Dave Walton of Yorkshire Fire and Rescue describes the extreme conditions they faced last week and warns that it’s just the beginning.

19.0k

Jul 25th 2022, 11:59 PM

# Hitting the ceiling

Crunch time for coalition as agriculture emissions divide parties ahead of Cabinet

Cabinet ministers may approve sectoral targets for reducing emissions on Wednesday – but only if a dispute over agriculture can be resolved.

21.2k

Updated

Jul 25th 2022, 7:02 PM

# Climate

Agriculture Minister hopes sectoral emissions targets will be agreed by Wednesday

A pinch point in ongoing discussions to finalise the limits for individual sectors is how far agriculture – the largest emitter – must cut its emissions.

8.6k

Jul 24th 2022, 4:00 PM

# factfind

FactFind: Are Irish farmers the 'most carbon-efficient food producers in the world'?

A number of politicians including the Taoiseach mentioned Irish beef and dairy’s carbon efficiency this week. But what does this mean?

31.4k

Jul 24th 2022, 3:12 PM

# Wildfires

Emergency declared over massive wildfire near Yosemite National Park in US

It exploded in size into one of California’s largest wildfires of the year.

15.3k

Jul 24th 2022, 7:36 AM

Voices

John Gibbons: In climate policy, agri-lobbyists are the tail wagging the government's dog

Our columnist says that agriculture lobbying has more power relative to the industry’s size.

22.4k

Jul 23rd 2022, 11:00 PM

# Wildfires

Emergency action planned to save giant sequoia trees from wildfires

The world’s largest trees are facing an increased risk of fire.

14.8k

Jul 23rd 2022, 12:01 PM

# Flooding

More than 20 people killed in south Iran floods

Iran has endured repeated droughts over the past decade alongside regular floods.

6.5k

Jul 23rd 2022, 10:25 AM

# Reusables

Circular Economy Act signed into law with disposable cup levy due before end of year

The levy on disposable cups – the best-known feature of the act – aims to help phase out single-use products.

14.8k

Jul 22nd 2022, 3:06 PM

# the explainer

The Explainer: What do the recent extreme temperatures tell us about future Irish summers?

How frequent will heatwaves become, and how quickly can we turn the tide?

4.3k

Jul 21st 2022, 6:00 PM

# EPA

Eamon Ryan says 'we have to do more' as greenhouse gas emissions top pre-pandemic levels

The figures show an increase in emissions of 4.7% in 2021 compared to 2020, when Covid restrictions had led to a significant decrease in emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency report shows an increase in emissions of 4.7% in 2021 compared to 2020, when Covid-19 restrictions were in place.

There was a 17.6% increase in emissions from the energy industries sector, attributable to a tripling of coal and oil use in electricity generation last year.

Agriculture emissions increased by 3% last year, the third year in a row that emissions have risen in the sector.