Where plankton fits in the Earth’s ecosystem
Organism gives sea its distinctive smell and promotes creation of clouds, thereby playing a significant role in global climate
Climate change
Our latest news coverage, analysis and comment on the global climate crisis
Climate talks enter final hours amid row over $1 trillion fund and China role
Vatican, Russia and Saudi Arabia voice concern over gender action plan aimed at supporting women affected by climate change
Moratorium on data centres and ban on LNG facilities: Assessment of Ireland’s climate performance at Cop29
Ireland reaches highest ever ranking due to progress on renewable energy including solar, energy use and climate policy
G20 helps lift mood at Cop29 climate talks
Message is ‘don’t leave Baku without a successful new finance goal’, says UN climate chief
Brazilian president Lula urges G20 leaders to move faster on net zero climate targets
Leaders at summit trying to shore up response to climate change before Trump retakes the US presidency
‘This keeps me awake at night’: How will Ireland’s climate worsen over the next 20 years?
The speed of decline in the ocean current system known as Amoc will determine whether Ireland can adapt or face catastrophic impacts
Cop29: Spectre of failure overhangs Baku as talks near collapse
Wealthy G20 countries meeting on other side of world must send signal, backed by finance, to tackle climate crisis or ‘face economic carnage’
Wind farms generate one third of Ireland’s electricity so far this year
Wind Energy Ireland highlights increasing power of wind while warning of constraints on network
Nine things we learned about state of the planet and turbulent climate geopolitics from first week of Cop29
A chasm remains between countries who believe carbon pollution is the source of our collective ills and those who believe oil and gas are to be used to drive their economies
Black Friday is nothing more than Bleak Friday when it comes to environment
Some shoppers wait all year for this event to make necessary purchases they could not otherwise afford - others are enticed to buy things they don’t need
Unique insects aren’t in the Burren for the scenery - but add another resplendent layer to an astonishing part of Ireland
The Burren is home to 27 species of moths and butterflies found nowhere else in the country, along with all of our rarest butterflies and half our rarest moths
Climate summits ‘no longer fit for purpose’ in addressing crisis, say former political leaders and scientists
Large scale of Cops summits now ‘beyond crazy’ says key participant, who could only justify flying to event because of being directly involved in scientific work
Planning regulator Niall Cussen: We can overcome the housing crisis, ‘if we put our minds to it’
At what he admits is a critical time for the State’s planning system, the OPR chief says we now have the resources, legislation and policies to meet our infrastructural and housing challenges
Deepening divisions over critical ‘climate finance goal’ and ‘who pays’ stalling progress at Cop29 talks
Expected level of global heating by end of the century has not changed since 2021, with ‘minimal progress’ made this year - Carbon Action Tracker
Toxic smog causes travel mayhem and health threats in Delhi region
Breathing in air in India’s capital city and surrounding area said to equate to smoking two packs of non-filtered cigarettes each day
Argentina orders its negotiators to withdraw from UN climate talks process
Withdrawal of 85-strong delegation from Baku climate summit has prompted concerns that other countries might do likewise
Cop29 failure unacceptable, even if climate slips from political priorities, warns Eamon Ryan
UN chief welcomes ‘high ambition coalition’ including Ireland which is pushing for more ambitious outcome
Torrential rain expected in Malaga and Tarragona as Spain shuts schools and evacuates residents
Emergency workers recovered the bodies of two young brothers aged three and five who were carried away by floods in the Valencian town of Torrent two weeks ago
Cop29 report indicates carbon emissions from fossil fuels set to reach record high in 2024
World likely to overshoot the critical 1.5-degree target in the Paris Agreement in less than 10 years, according to climate scientists
Ireland weather: Met Éireann says sleet and snow is possible next week as temperatures plummet
Status yellow fog warning in place until Wednesday morning this week
Shell wins appeal against order to cut greenhouse gas emissions
Dutch court annuls order made against energy company in 2021
Disasters being supercharged by man-made climate change with no country spared, UN chief tells Cop29
2024 was ‘masterclass in climate destruction’, António Guterres tells global leaders
World needs to decarbonise at an even faster rates, PwC study says
Breaching of 1.5 degrees global warming temperature rise target becoming a reality
Cop29′s chief negotiator hails early win on carbon trading as last part of Paris pact is ratified
Carbon credits predicted to enable big increase in climate spending but critics says backdoor deal was rushed and undermines UN climate process
Trump set to ‘dismantle fight against global warming’, US climate envoy warns at Cop29
UN talks open in Baku with stark warning no country is immune from climate disaster
Cop29 opens with fossil fuel companies and host country Azerbaijan targeted by protests
Mary Robinson backs call by environmental campaign for oil and gas companies to help pay for climate breakdown
Stop doomscrolling and read this instead. Your brain will thank you
A neuropsychologist on how to cope when the world is in turmoil
Eamon Ryan: EU must ensure renewed backing for Paris pact as Cop29 faces into difficult negotiations
‘It will be hard to get agreement in a world that is so divided and under such stress, but that is what we have to do’
Ireland not acting aggressively enough to hit climate targets – UCC study
Report warns not cutting emissions risks greater long-term costs, stranded assets, and dependence on unproven carbon removal technologies after 2030
Explainer: Why Cop29 matters to you, Ireland and the world despite Trump ‘whiplash’
World’s performance on emissions and temperature summarised in three words: ‘over the limit’
Reusable cloth nappies vs disposables: would you put €500 a year in the bin?
Disposables are hardly without their ick factor, and the cost savings and environmental benefits of reusables are compelling
TV guide: the best new shows to watch, beginning tonight
November 10th-15th: From the return of Wolf Hall to a Blindboy tale about one man and his giant fridge
Greens ‘don’t know whether to laugh or cry’ at Fianna Fáil’s climate pledges
Party manifesto promises Minister of State for energy among series of climate-related pledges
Election 2024: Will the public finances allow the spending spree to continue for the next government?
Government has breached its own 5 per cent spending limit each year since its introduction
A call to climate action
What needs to happen to save ourselves, our species and planet? Eight climate-conscious individuals offer their take
Once feared extinct in Ireland, the secretive nightjar calls again
The confirmation revives the question of whether nightjars could have a more hopeful future in Ireland than previously believed
Southern California wildfire: Thousands under evacuation orders as blaze destroys buildings
Ten people have been injured in fire that started on Wednesday morning in Ventura County
With 2024 set to be the hottest year ever, why have plans for climate spending been put on hold?
Party leaders would not agree to allow Minister for Climate Eamon Ryan to bring plans to Cabinet for the deployment of a €3.15bn climate fund
Donald Trump’s return is a blow to global response to the climate crisis
The US president-elect showed himself in awe of the power of Hurricane Helene - but did not dare to consider why that September storm was so destructive
Global warming: 2024 will be world’s hottest on record, EU scientists say
‘Climate is warming, generally, so we are bound to see records being broken,’ says Copernicus climate change service
Election 2024: Will parties stand firm on the climate law?
Political parties must indicate how they will uphold and strengthen our carbon budgets
Ireland can play pivotal role in ensuring global food security while meeting challenge of an overheating planet
If Ireland delivers a credible food/health/climate strategy for the 2025 conferences it should open longer-term possibilities
Electricity grid should receive €2bn-a-year boost from State, says industry body
Republic faces €8bn fines if it misses climate targets
SSE buys rights to develop battery energy storage project in Offaly
Project could be up and running by the end of the decade
Trump declares victory and promises ‘golden age of America’
US election: Former US president on track to reach 270 majority needed to secure a second term in the White House
Less than half of population of some counties understands what causes climate change, EPA says
Environmental Protection Agency finds strong support for climate change policies across Ireland with 65% of people saying it will harm them personally and 95% saying it will harm future generations
The climate culprits lurking in your cosmetics bag
Beauty routines used to consist of cleanser, toner and moisturiser. Today, serums, exfoliators, oils and eye creams are adding to a mountain of plastic packaging
Green ‘flash’ registration plates for motorists on Irish roads with zero-emission vehicles
The plates ‘will help us visualise our zero emission future’, says Eamon Ryan
Europe ‘must spend on green energy and charging capacity, not roads, airports expansion’
Europe needs to spend €39bn every year to ensure its green transport technology is fully deployed, says study
Residents throw mud and insults at Spanish king and PM on visit to flood-hit town in Valencia
Member of public express rage over apparent lack of action ahead of deluge by authorities as death toll climbs to 217
Reducing emissions: A simple step you can take while driving
A primary school in Co Mayo is testing a scheme for tackling air pollution while helping parents get their kids to school without driving all the way
‘We are living through the sixth extinction’: How contemporary Irish writers are pointedly addressing the climate crisis
Poetry cannot change the world, Seamus Heaney once said. But he also went on to clarify that what poetry could do is to allow the world to be viewed afresh
UN biodiversity summit comes to abrupt end as deal on global nature fund falls through
‘This is a delay we can’t afford as we see alarming evidence on a weekly basis the Earth is moving towards dangerous environmental tipping points’, said Grace Carr of Irish Wildlife Trust
Cop29: Can a bloated and cumbersome process undermined by self-interest deliver for our planet?
Baku conference offers opportunities to help avoid climate catastrophe, despite the obstacles
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