Irish Doctors for the Environment

As is, with his continued push to not only lift the Dublin Airport passenger cap but also to significantly increase numbers, Minister O'Brien seems more like a minister for worsening climate change than one responsible for climate action and a sustainable transport system.

Brilliant letter below!

The 2026 Budget must be the one that turns the tide on nature and climate action in Ireland.

Health, climate and nature are inseparable. The Budget 2026 must reflect that.

Our demands below.
#Buget2026

Changing how people eat could save 15 million lives a year and help save the planet, say scientists Changing what we eat could save 15 million lives every year and help bring the planet back from the brink of climate disaster, according to a new study.

By changing what we eat, we could see enormous benefits to both our own health and wellbeing as humans and that of our shared planet.

This is the level of ambition we need to see in Ireland!

What an energising, inspiring weekend spent with the most wonderful visionaries in beautiful Co. Wicklow.

A few snapshots from our séjour this weekend!

Here's to the future of IDE and to a fairer, healthier and greener planet for all 🌎

There is NO reason for these vehicles to be on Irish roads.

They might serve a small purpose in certain rural landscapes for a limited number of people, but they do NOT belong in urban environments.

Yes we definitely need to have a serious discussion around car parking subsidies in the HSE.

Opinion: Those outraged by a €100k bike shed should look at the annual cost of renting out car park spaces We have completely normalised investment in congestion, pollution and the continuation of car-first planning, writes Ciarán Cannon.

An important perspective from @ciarancannon.bsky.social!

The contrast between active transport and car infrastructure becomes even starker once you factor in the broader financial and health costs of cars, whether it's inactivity, air pollution, or noise pollution (to name but a few negatives...).

Campaigners heap pressure on government to rollout 30km speed limit The Love30 campaign is stepping up the pressure - calling on the government to stop delaying and deliver a default 30km speed limit in towns and cities.

The science is clear: a default 30km/h speed limit in all urban areas will save lives!

Any further delay in implementing this long overdue change is unforgivable.
#Love30

One of our members caught the soon-to-be-cut Paris–Berlin sleeper train...

Sad to see the service go, but very on brand to be reading @thinkorswim.bsky.social's fabulous new book, The Lie of the Land, along the way.

Available in any good bookstore as John would say!

How much is okay for the State to spend on a bike shed? The cost of bike sheds came up again in the Dáil yesterday – this time over a €100,000 tender for one at the National Maternity Hospital.

We welcome a discussion about the costs of different transport modes, but that conversation must also address the enormous financial and health impacts of our reliance on cars.

And just to be clear, the NMH is in urgent need of a new bike shed!

All across Europe, we keep turning precious ecosystems into luxury hotels, logistics centres, and housing estates.

Every day, our depleted nature shrinks further.

Europe is changing colour from green to grey.

More than 100,000 properties along Irish coastline at risk of flooding New analysis raises likelihood that thousands of properties will become uninsurable

We are in serious trouble.

A growing interest ... That is an interesting way to put it for sure.

This is a shocking indictment of public policy.

Lower speed limits will help Ireland reduce road deaths Wales cut road casualties by 28% after reducing speed limits. Yet only one of the new lower speed limits introduced in Ireland's Road Traffic Act 2024 has been implemented

Lower speed limits will help Ireland reduce road deaths!

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

Another damning report.

We continue to mortgage the health of both current and future generations to realise short-term economic and development gains in the present.

Author isn't trying to demean volunteers. This has been reiterated multiple times. As a VO ourselves, we know how difficult it can be to bring such ambitious plans to fruition. We have been out on the streets, campaigned for change across multiple outlets. We stand by the institutional critique.

To write bravely, to call out systemic failures and injustices for what they are, is a virtue that should be lauded. This blog is not a personal attack on anyone, and certainly not the volunteer work in question. The need for the said VW warrants criticism of local government who shapes it, and...

The fact that the volunteers had to put so much hard work into getting this to happen kinda demonstrates the point. Where’s the political will in councils to do something more ambitious? Why do residents need to fight tooth and nail for small scraps?

In light of comments surrounding this recent blog post, we would like to affirm we fully applaud volunteer efforts to work towards a safer, healthier city. However, we stand by the author's original point that Dublin's planning ambition is severely lacking and we need to dream bigger.

I’ve had a lot of responses to this piece, so I want to clarify a few things.

Writing and posting views like this isn’t easy. It often leads to pushback, even when the criticism isn’t aimed at individuals.

We never said anyone should be embarrassed to be part of the movement - only embarrassed at the stark fact that children can only play on their streets once a year. We did have a letter drafted that was never sent. And no, of course not - community-led initiatives are wonderful spaces to spark actio

Genuinely asking - how will DCC follow up with this? Will you gather feedback from residents? Close busier residential streets next time? Use emissions and noise pollution data? Traffic data? There's so much that could be extrapolated. We'd be open to collaborate.

This was a missed opportunity for DCC to make the most of a volunteer-led project to pave the way for real, impactful change in Dublin. The initiative is great from a volunteer POV, but needs to be paired with more courage & ambition for real change from local government as we are so far behind.

The two are not mutually exclusive. We can feel embarrassed by this fact - hence the need for the movement in the first place - and work very hard for such an initiative. The fact that volunteers worked so hard for this is testament to the lack of ambition and resistance to change.

@cianginty.bsky.social @feljin.ie @emmet.quiddity.ie cities, that closing 25 smaller streets without measuring feedback from residents will not cause the desired ripple effect of permanent change. Dublin needs to be braver in its urban planning - we need to catch up with international cities.

@cianginty.bsky.social @feljin.ie @emmet.quiddity.ie
It was never our intention to criticise the work of volunteers, and if it gave that impression, we sincerely apologise. However, this was intended as a commentary on the wider situation - Dublin's urban planning is so far behind that of other...

If our wording read as a criticism of volunteers or the day itself, that wasn’t our intention. Sorry. We’re grateful for the work behind play streets.

Our point is that DCC should scale this so it’s regular and city-wide.