Noel Sweeney

Join Us - @profjohnbarry.bsky.social & I + a mix of researchers fm the @climatecocentre.bsky.social, Centre SECA & the Seamus Heaney Centre for a day of conversations, discussion & poetry. 1/3

Plan to ‘write off’ hundreds of Irish rivers as no-go areas for nature angers green groups Hundreds of rivers will be condemned to decline under Government plans to lower environmental standards for them, it is feared.

Govt wants to exempt 466 Irish rivers from having to meet standards high enough to support healthy natural habitats. @swanireland.ie @theriverstrust.bsky.social @whittledaway.bsky.social & Friends of the Irish Environment are pleading for the plan to be stalled
www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...

If you do anything today - please sign this petition to stop the mass killing of these magnificent Bluefin Tuna who after decades of absence from UK waters are just returning only to met with mass death and destruction
Its simply evil
They can live up to 40 years if given a chance
Let them live

UK weather: Spring may become driest on record with no rain in sight There has been a lack of rainfall in many parts of the UK so far this spring and there is little or no rain in the immediate forecast.

This Spring (March-April-May) may end up being the driest on record for the UK.

This would also make it the driest of any season in a dataset that goes back to 1836.

Spring in 1852 currently holds the record for driest season at 100.7 mm averaged across the UK.

www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

Increase in presence of pesticides in water supplies Pesticide users have been urged to be vigilant to protect drinking water supplies ahead of the warmer weather expected over the coming weeks and months.

Pesticide users have been urged to be vigilant to protect drinking water supplies ahead of the warmer weather expected over the coming weeks and months

Petition: Ban the residential use of artificial grass We urge the Government to introduce a ban on both the use and sale of artificial grass in residential settings. This should include prohibiting its installation in private gardens and outdoor spaces, ...

At a time when gardens are at their most important for helping wildlife cling on and as mitigation for climate impacts we need people to do the right thing. They don't, so now we need Government to...

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...

The video in this montage is extraordinary- and not in a good way. “Historic” life-changing flooding in so many spots. We have irreversibly changed our planet in ways that will compound and debilitate.
(On a lighter note, I apparently made a cameo)

Irish Amphibians with Collie Ennis Join us for a fun and informative session on Irish amphibians with the inimitable Collie Ennis - it's sure to be ribbiting! (Groan)

REMINDER: This coming Sunday, April 13th, @collieennis.bsky.social will come to microWild to talk about Irish amphibians.

Don't miss out on this wonderful learning opportunity from a national treasure.

irish-amphibians.eventbrite.ie

Israel killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers one by one, says UN Workers on a mission to help colleagues were buried in mass grave in southern Gaza, says humanitarian office

Israeli death squads murder 15 health workers in cold blood, then bury them AND their ambulance in mass graves.

And still the ‘West’ looks the other way. These killers will be represented in the Eurovision shortly.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

Spotted my first bunch of Sand Martin feeding over the pond on March 24th. My heart fills with joy when these little beauties return. #sandmartin .

Annual global mean temperature anomalies relative to a pre-industrial (1850–1900) baseline shown from 1850 to 2024 Chart: WMO

WMO has just released its flagship #StateofClimate 2024 report.

Atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide are at the highest levels in the last 800,000 years.

On an almost daily basis - extreme weather is causing major economic and social disruption.

wmo.int/news/media-c...

Irish businesses will struggle to compete with Amazon ie, both online and in the high street.

Shop direct with your Irish retailers, who already exist.

Support local, not the billionaires.

Britain’s food supply is precarious – and Trump’s chaos is spreading. I have a plan. Do you? | George Monbiot I’ve started a stockpile, but that isn’t the answer. If crisis strikes, the government needs a strategy to protect us all, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

1. Reading some of the comments beneath this week's column, I'm struck once again by how fiercely resistant many people are to understanding how our food is produced, how it reaches us and how the system works. This willed ignorance is lethal. Short🧵
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

It’s that time of year - people asking us about #bumblebees - WHY THEY’RE SEEING THEM ON THE GROUND - so here’s a thread to explain what they’re up to.
Please #repost.
Every #queen that survives means a new colony that gets to exist & produce new queen #bees for next year!
This is important!
1/9

YouTube video by Twelve Bogs: History, Politics, Ecology Bord na Móna rewetting of Lemanaghan Bog, Co. Offaly

Check out my drone footage of the rewetting at Bord na Móna Lemanaghan bog in Co. Offaly. Note the togher (ancient trackway) to the right of the video.

These works are highly impressive. In time the bog will stabilise, revegetate and begin contributing to biodiversity again.

youtu.be/1wtPsQfMmx0

A huge well done to the brilliant @connectingcabra.bsky.social on their new wildlife pond behind Church of the Most Precious Blood. Funded by grants and driven by volunteers. This is community climate and biodiversity action at its best 💚

‘A breathtaking example of double standards’ – Coalition told it’s not doing enough to protect nature The Government has been accused of double standards over its shortcomings on nature protection while signing a global agreement requiring others to do better.

“We have declared a biodiversity crisis in Ireland, we have had a Citizens’ Assembly and we have had repeated warnings about species and habitat loss. It’s now time for the Government to take the threat of biodiversity loss seriously” - Jennifer Whitmore
www.independent.ie/irish-news/a...

Measure a tree on your phone!

This data helps us learn more about ecosystem resilience, create a national tree map & estimate carbon storage

✅ Download NASA’s GLOBE Observer App on your phone
✅ Make a free account
✅ Choose 'TREES' in the App.

www.antaisce.org/news/tree-we...

#TreeWeek

Yesterday Matt Frei’s on @lbc.co.uk interviewed Kira Rudik, Ukrainian MP. Her passion & urgency were heartbreaking. She laid bare the betrayal of the U.S. & Ukraine’s stark choices. The Ukrainian people remain clear-eyed & united. Their bravery deserves our unwavering support. #StandWithUkraine

Another excellent episode of @rteradio1.bsky.social's 'Countrywide' this morning, with @philipb-h.bsky.social talking to Dr Catherine Farrell and Offaly farmers about rewetting land.

These conversations are at the very heart of how we make Ireland better for nature, climate, farmers, + *everyone*.

Beekeepers say native honey bee at risk of extinction Beekeepers from across the country are gathering in the midlands this weekend to highlight their concerns around the native Irish honey bee which they say is at grave risk of extinction.

www.rte.ie/news/ireland...

You’ve been busy

YouTube video by Peter Stefanovic FACTS & TRUTH MATTER

Zelensky has not refused to negotiate. He has refused to surrender to a murderous dictator who has illegally invaded his country

youtu.be/HpmDquOkSCY?...

Getting nettles ready for returning corncrake in April.

How Donald Trump ripped up US climate action plans At a Time of Climate Crisis: The US president has been making false and misleading claims on wind energy for nearly a decade

My latest column for the Irish Times: How President Trump's administration is systematically dismantling US climate action.

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

‘About time they got some credit’: why hoverflies are an underappreciated insect Prof Dave Goulson is one of the world’s foremost experts on insects. But there’s a special place in his heart for hoverflies, one of the prettiest flies around. Here he explains why we should nominate...

Totally agree with @davegoulson.bsky.social in @theguardian.com
here obviously.
A fabulous insect group with extraordinary skills, diversity, importance in our ecosystem and food, and also very beautiful.. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

It’s been a long day, but in short, bullies ain’t shit! I don’t care what title you hold! This isn’t some long gone reality tv show or failed casino; it is war!

How dare a draft dodging dumb dupe humiliate an ally & berate a brave man who has actually been on a battlefield for his people?!

Zelenskyy knows what it is to fight for something bigger than yourself. Trump does not.

👏

Simon Harris Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland 👏