Caroline O'Doherty

What are the flood relief schemes in my area? Here’s how to check Fewer than one fifth of schemes given priority in 2016 have reached the construction stage

What stage the priority schemes are at and the (tentative) target completion dates
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Why are flood defences taking so long to build? Don’t blame the pearl mussel Just 10 of 54 projects prioritised for development in 2018 are under construction

Judicial reviews & environmental concerns are blamed for delaying flood works but they account for hold-ups in a tiny fraction of projects
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Most ‘priority’ flood defences have still not entered planning after eight years Thirty-one of 54 big projects deemed priority works in 2018 remain on the drawing board

Where is Ireland at with flood defences and what's holding them up?
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Rivers must be monitored continuously to prevent ‘repeat of Blackwater fish kill’ Valuable time lost in raising alert on the incident, notes review by European Union scientists

EU report on Munster Blackwater fish kill calls for 24-hr monitoring of rivers over 100km long, more coordinated crisis response, trained public 'water wardens' & tighter industrial pollution licences
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

A supportive built environment can help build a breastfeeding culture PhD student Andyno Akpanukoh is using a citizen science approach to determine whether aspects like physical spaces and facilities help or hinder mothers to breastfeed

....and in Research Lives @claireoconnell.bsky.social meets a PhD candidate asking mums how workplaces, cafes, hospitals & other settings help or hinder breastfeeding
www.irishtimes.com/science/2026...

Can machines think or are they just fooling us? The growth of AI poses practical and moral questions

....while Stuart Mathieson explores how intelligent AI really is....
www.irishtimes.com/science/2026...

‘We don’t have a plan’: Invasive species take hold as action lags legislation Sitka spruce, sika deer and common garden plants are all invasive species with potential to cause harm to native varieties

In this week's Science & Climate in @irishtimes.com, @whittledaway.bsky.social looks at Ireland's laws, plans - and inaction - on controlling invasive species..........
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Experts call for tighter air pollution rules as tougher standards loom Ireland’s air quality meets existing requirements but falls short of new criteria

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

‘Shocking’: Taskforce to tackle high electricity prices has met just three times Record disclosed to Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly, who said it was a ‘talking shop’ to deflect from crisis

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

Supreme Court ruling on wind farms requires all public bodies to consider climate impacts Judgment states public bodies must try to act in line with national climate targets

A look at the Coolglass ruling with input from @orlakelleher.bsky.social @lnbdublin.bsky.social @oisincoghlan.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Sharks on brink of extinction caught in tangle nets in protected Irish waters Seals also among the animals killed as by-catch of growing crayfishing industry

Thousands of sea animals needlessly killed as bycatch of crayfishing industry in practice Dr Nick Payne of @tcddublin.bsky.social says is shameful
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Electricity bills are getting more complicated - but that’s no bad thing Dynamic tariffs more accurately reflect what’s actually going on with electricity supply and demand

.....and @hannahdaly.ie deciphers dynamic tariffs and what they could mean for your electricity bill
www.irishtimes.com/science/2026...

Deep heat on our doorstep: Geothermal energy a realistic proposition for Ireland ‘Sleeping giant’ of the energy world ready to play part in providing affordable clean heat

...while @kosull.bsky.social examines the heat beneath our feet and its potential to supply geothermal energy.....
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Keep your front garden intact and other nature-based solutions to urban flood risks Slowing the runoff from heavy downpours into struggling Victorian drainage systems in urban areas protects property and water quality

In this week's Science & Climate page in @irishtimes.com, Sylvia Thompson has a timely look at a nature-based flood relief scheme that has delivered for residents in Artane, Dublin.....
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Why is it raining so much? Persistent rain in Ireland is being driven by unusual combination of events Persistent rain is being driven by an unusual combination of events

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Minister disbands department’s climate division in move branded ‘reckless’ by Greens Jack Chambers has moved climate to unit within new infrastructure division

Implications of restructuring at DPER questioned by @rodericogorman.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Plans to fast-track permission for floating gas terminal criticised Oireachtas committee begins hearings on controversial LNG proposals

A "trojan horse" that "punches a hole" in climate law - concerns over LNG proposal being raised at all-party committee hearings by @antaisce.bsky.social @trocaire.bsky.social @foeireland.bsky.social among others
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Supreme Court judgement on Coolglass:

Supreme Court to clarify climate law obligations of planning authorities Judgment due on significant appeal regarding decision overturning refusal of wind farm permission

www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/co...

How to stay up to date with river levels, flood risk and forecasts Several resources worth checking, although no convenient one-stop location for this valuable data

How to stay up to date with river levels, flood risk and forecasts - the apps & websites, what they tell you & don't

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Third of Ireland’s wintering waterbirds vanish in just 30 years Some species increased numbers but others have declined by more than 50%

Ireland's winter visitors are disappearing - just one Bewick's Swan was recorded here last winter. Some species are growing in numbers though. Important new report from @birdwatchireland.bsky.social & @npwsireland.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

John Sweeney: Blaming Met Éireann for floods is a distraction. Who rezoned the floodplains? It is now over 20 years since I led the project to give the first scenario-based projections of Ireland’s future climate. We warned Ireland’s winters would become significantly wetter

www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...

Storm Chandra: Does climate change make small streams and more frequent flooding new risks? As Johan Keating dragged sodden possessions from his home this week, the little river that trickled uneventfully through his life had left scars previously unimaginable

Small rivers, big problems - with insights from @megafloods.bsky.social Prof Conor Murphy of @maynoothuniversity.ie and thanks to all who took time to talk in a very difficult week
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Our economic system relies on growth – an obsessive compulsion of neoliberal capitalism Environmental deterioration evident all around us if we choose to look; and the alarms are flashing red

....and @sadhbhoneill.bsky.social argues for a world where having enough is the valued goal
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Filling the evidence gaps in dental care: ‘We need a national oral health survey’ Research Lives: Martina Hayes is professor and consultant in restorative dentistry at Cork University Dental School and Hospital

....while @claireoconnell.bsky.social meets a dentistry professor with great new research but concerns that we're still neglecting the basics
www.irishtimes.com/science/2026...

Ireland has chance to go boldly as European Space Agency aims higher with record funding Revised National Space Strategy could decide whether we continue on a steady path or match the ambition Europe has now embraced

This week's Science & Climate page in @irishtimes.com sees @irishspacegal.bsky.social explore Europe's growing space ambitions....
www.irishtimes.com/science/spac...

Storm Chandra floods made three times more likely by climate change Analysis shows rainfall preceding storm left areas ‘primed’ for flooding

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
Latest (and very rapid) attribution study from @clairebergin.bsky.social @lionel-swan.bsky.social & Met Éireann @wasitusie.bsky.social

Ireland’s vote against Mercosur down to baseless fears, says von der Leyen’s deputy Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s second in command, said trade agreement would build bridges

"Let's see": European Commission's number two, Teresa Ribera, declines to say whether Ireland will have to pay penalties for missing 2030 climate targets.
Also, her views on Ireland's vote against Mercosur
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

Penneys ends partnership with WornWell second-hand clothes outlet Concession opened in two Dublin stores in 2023 but closed in recent weeks

Penneys ends partnership with WornWell second-hand clothes outlet

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Mary Robinson calls for law to block fossil fuel investments flowing through Irish-based firms Former president said move to clean energy should include an end to fossil fuel subsidies, such as the tax breaks on fuel enjoyed by airlines

Mary Robinson calls for law to block fossil fuel investments flowing through Irish-based firms

www.irishtimes.com/business/202...