Karen Ronayne

The Irish government looking at two countries: one with the internationally lauded cycling infrastructure and renowned best practice, and a second one where everything is terrible and cyclists all die

"We like the second one"

*whispers* That's the point...
A good portion of them can immediately become long-term lets. Or even sold to a family!

High Court action against legal fees cap expected Minister for Environment wants to cap State legal payments to €65,805

1400 submissions on the JR costs cap & the majority appear to be questioning the legal validity of this.

But instead of, you know, actually listening to the public, instead the Gov is said to be 'bracing for a legal challenge'. How about they just don't do it?!

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

Delaying the 2026 Climate Action Plan is deeply concerning. Efforts are already way off-track & the CAP is the main tool for closing the delivery gap this decade. Saying we must wait for post-2030 carbon budgets is conceptually backwards - delay now makes future targets harder and more expensive.

In the @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social Global Climate Highlights 2025 report we used #dataviz to present its key messages and bring them to a wider audience. This first example shows daily temperature anomalies from 1940 to 2025 and it was inspired by the work of @erwanrivault.com (BBC)

Do both.

And if solar parks are built near villages or towns, then offer the people who are potentially affected free electricity to offset their concerns.

Solar panels are not nuclear power stations. They can be removed with little environmental impact and can actually benefit biodiversity.

Plans for Cork City Library ‘lack transparency’ says TD He said a total of €50m was promised and €7m had been spent on Bishop Lucey Park’s redevelopment, but he claimed there is “a huge lack of ...

“Are we going to get the construction of a new building and not have this shoved into an existing building that does not meet the needs of a library and is not the promised new-build library?”
www.echolive.ie/corknews/ari...

There is a co-ordinated attack underway on access to justice & environmental democracy, with the Irish public being bombarded daily with anti-judicial review messaging from all sides.

This is to soften up the public before their right to access justice is removed- it's manufacturing consent.

Despite the click-bait headline my contribution has been accurately reported in this piece by @eithnedodd.bsky.social unfortunately on the industry side the wool has been pulled over her eyes by the usual self-serving rhetoric

By way of followup a short 🧵

A real test for politicians and gardaí.

There's been a years-long campaign of arson/attempted arson at IPAS centres - even buildings rumoured to be considered for asylum seekers.

We've had far-right instigated riots in our capital, at CityWest and Coolock; arson at TD's property... (1/2)

Page 7 https://www.pleanala.ie/getmedia/aaad96a0-5b88-4cb6-b382-5387fce6c4e8/An-Bord-Pleanala-Annual-Report-2024-EN_1.pdf?ext=.pdf

there are permissions 70,000+ new homes ready to go

<2,000 appeals last year & only a small % were housing

nobody “votes” on planning applications

JR is not Planning system, it’s a legal process to see if the law was followed correctly

-JRs are a tiny %…& 1/4 are by the developers themselves

This article is full of digs against horseshoe bats, planners & says “environmental goals have created stasis”. The @dublininquirer.com have already looked into the Collison backed Progress Ireland & identified links with US libertarian & Peter Thiel backed groups. We need independent journalism!

Dublin City Council agrees to rezone land for up to 25,000 new homes in the capital The council also agreed to launch a project to “rejuvenate” Middle Abbey Street, North Frederick Street and the surrounding areas.

Last night’s council meeting showed that planning permissions are NOT the bottleneck in housing delivery. Turns out about half the planning permissions granted don’t actually convert into building projects for various reasons. www.thejournal.ie/dublin-city-...

The Irish Times view on Ireland’s waterways: an ecological death Nutrients from agriculture and poor wastewater treatment have led to 48 per cent of waters being rated below minimum standards

'[this] could not have come at a worse time for the Gov. & farmers as Ireland attempts to retain its EU nitrates derogation.. The EPA findings undermine the case for retention ..The Min for Ag has called for an extension..This now looks like a specious argument.'

www.irishtimes.com/opinion/edit...

Cooperative housing in Switzerland, fabulous 3-4 bedroom duplex family apartments 110 square metres, €2,500/ month

.. & we’re told that small 2-bed apartments at 45 square metres with €2,500 rent aren’t “viable”

.. it’s developer procurement that isn’t viable, not affordable housing

CountryWide - RTÉ Radio 1 The CountryWide team feature the events, people and happenings that bring colour and life to communities, towns and villages across the country.

Q: Why was the person responsible for the Blackwater fish kill never found?

A: it wasn’t anybody’s job.

I talked to the heads of all the agencies involved in the investigation, about why the biggest pollution event in Irish history fell between the cracks.

Listen: 👉 www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

The tariffs the EU inflicts on itself: Extreme heat, floods, pollution and ill-health Bloc’s environment agency flags concerns over water stress, unhealthy soils and pollution

.....and the wider issues and implications across Europe
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Ireland’s natural environment in ‘very poor’ condition, EU analysis finds European Environment Report - news (analysis piece to follow) Embargoed to Sunday night 11pm

We're working on a Water Action Plan, Nature Restoration Plan & Land Use Review. European Environment Agency report shows we need to work faster
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...

I'm all for grand visions of societal transformation towards sustainability, but also I suspect it leaves people paralysed and confused about what actually works.

So with @seai-ie.bsky.social, I wrote this cheat sheet - the "how and why" of the energy transition

www.seai.ie/sites/defaul...

This is behind a paywall which is unfortunate cos it’s very good. I wouldn’t usually post a way around the paywall of an Irish publication, but I’ll make an exception 🙏 (archive below)

Author is in command of the figures and they’re not good - the consequences disastrous

archive.is/2025.09.18-0...

10 ways to make Dublin better: From public baths to scrapping gated communities Open schoolyards at weekends, softer lighting and more places to sit down would help

Ireland’s climate transition should not only address emissions, but also existing inequalities.

We have a unique opportunity to harness the climate transformation ahead to deliver better, safer and fairer futures for everyone.

Some great inspiration here:

An apartment complex. A headline reads: "Did Switzerland Solve The Housing Crisis?"

The way that housing co-ops work in Switzerland may seem foreign to many. But the central idea is simple: What if homeownership had no profit motive and no capital gains? Advocates say their model could reshape how the world thinks about affordable housing. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/r...

Dairy plant says it is 'not connected' to major Cork fish kill after EPA wastewater report North Cork Creameries said there was no link to its site and the fish kill near Lombardstown, “a full 10km away from our facility”.

Whether or not they caused the horrific fish kill, serious questions need to be asked why North Cork Creameries has been repeatedly in breach of their EPA discharge licence.

Do we need 46,000 fish to be directly attributable to their pollution to stop it? 🧵

www.thejournal.ie/fish-kill-ri...

Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low-likelihood, study finds Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic fallout

The fossil fuel industry is literally destabilising the life support systems of our planet and our policians are letting them.

Incomprehensible stupidity and recklessness.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

More on our new study that was published yesterday - a plain English article from the lead scientist @colmduff.bsky.social which gets deeper into the #foodinsecurity and #globalinequality issues associated with 'temperature neutrality' / 'no additional warming' approaches to target setting.

"Current patterns of plastic production, use, and disposal cause disease, disability, and death at every stage of the plastic lifecycle." @thelancet.com
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Watch this video 100 times today!

Electricity shortcomings in Portlaoise see up to 80 newly built homes lying vacant Dozens of families are unable to move into the houses because of the delay.

Our water infrastructure is a wreck, our electricity infrastructure is a wreck, and yet the government act like you've deliberately run over their dog if you have the temerity to suggest that maybe we should chill on building data centres

www.thejournal.ie/portlaoise-h...

NGOs welcome Denmark’s new proposal to ban destructive bottom trawling in key areas - and urge the EU for stronger action - Seas At Risk Environment NGOs Seas At Risk, Danish Nature Conservation Association, Oceana and ClientEarth welcome the Danish government’s proposal to ban bottom trawling in over 17% of Danish waters. The establis...

While Ireland is paralysed with inaction and indecision, other countries are getting on with the task of protecting their seas. Denmark now the latest to announce a restriction on bottom trawling.

seas-at-risk.org/press-releas...

#BuiltHeritage
Cork city — derelict historic buildings in prominent locations negatively affecting amenities & character of city.
Targeted action req'd for renovation/reuse (Derelict Sites & Section 59, P&D act)
📷
1 Fr Mathew Quay
2 South Tce
3 George's Quay
4 Odlums, Marina Rd
#DerelictIreland