Climate change

Our latest news coverage, analysis and comment on the global climate crisis

Putting unused medicines in bins, toilets or down the sink is making the planet sick

Improper disposal of pharmaceuticals, often through bins or flushing, leads to contamination of water and soil

Ireland’s skylarks were disappearing but this simple solution could bring their song back

A new project will involve skylark plots on farms along the south coast from Kinsale to Wexford

Inconvenient truths about Ireland’s carbon budget compliance

An expectation that current policies are sufficient to halve emissions this decade appears absurd

Elemental by Arthur Snell: how climate change influences who holds world power

A tough read, but a valuable one. Snell presents us with some fascinating geopolitical nuances

South Africa embraces renewables with a little help from loyal friends

Gross inefficiencies, lack of investment and corruption seem to be a thing of the past, but it still has issues with grid weakness

‘They’re nearly giving them away’: The precarious business of Irish vegetable growing

Food supply model under scrutiny after one of Ireland’s largest carrot producers winds down

Rising seas around Ireland, cost-of-living measures, and a bicycle thief solution

Early Edition with Andrew McNair; our top stories on Monday

Hazards mount for coastal areas as Earth’s climate imbalance worsens

The oceans’ vital role in cooling the planet is now under severe strain

Bike theft can mean a real loss of independence for teenagers

A new scheme from Fingal County Council aims to ensure children can continue cycling despite the losses of their bikes, bringing many benefits to them and us

Ireland must prepare ‘evacuation’ plans for coastal areas as climate change intensifies, says expert

Warning comes as World Meteorological Organisation report shows Earth being pushed beyond its limits

Irish graveyards are full of plastic. We’re all paying for it

Our burial grounds could be repositories of life; exquisite, nature-filled spaces in the middle of our cities and towns

Children’s Health Ireland accepted €30,000 from concession holder for staff Christmas party

Office of Public Works expected to warn that Ireland must be ready for increased flooding arising from climate change

Meath home faces demolition after long-running saga, and a St Patrick’s Day deportation flight

Early Edition with Andrew McNair: The top Irish Times stories on Thursday

Ireland’s emissions remained almost within limit during first carbon budget

Second budget to 2030 presents tougher challenge as limits tighten further

Ireland can offer hope as militarisation hastens climate catastrophe

Irish neutrality shields us from involvement in senseless wars and helps us limit environmental damage

Research Ireland and AIB invest €5.7m in facility to explore AI’s role in climate fight

Facility, dubbed ‘Decarb-AI’, will offer international researchers fully-funded, four-year PhDs with leading academic researchers

The difficult choices that could dramatically increase housing supply in Dublin

Inside Business podcast with Ciarán Hancock

Ireland needs to grow up and get serious about its interests

In the infantile recent debate about the Mercosur deal, for example, politicians from all sides fell over each other to criticise an agreement profoundly in Ireland’s interests

The Irish Times view on Ireland’s climate targets: a need for realism and new approaches

The costs of inadequate progress are growing

How we name plant-based dishes can increase how often they are chosen

Giving plant-based dishes more attractive names on restaurant menus can increase their appeal, research finds

Ireland doesn’t have time for wind farm battles

Ella McSweeney: A recent verdict showed climate law can’t fix what politics won’t

Reality check for climate targets and renewables

These often ludicrous contradictions and unworkable policies need to be called out

EVs, solar panels and heat pumps concentrated in affluent areas of Ireland

‘Utterly unfair’ trend could be tackled, say report authors who also note grant system fuels inequalities

Councils warn of risks to tourism and agriculture from Shannon water project

Elected representatives in Clare pass resolution calling for planning permission for 170km pipeline to be refused

Flood victims experience fear, anger and despair, study finds

Irish university study finds rise in post-traumatic stress, chronic anxiety and depression after weather events

Price of our dependence on fossil fuels is becoming clear yet again

But renewable energy relies on resources that will never run out and cannot be cut off as act of aggression

Relying on fossil fuels

There will always be another conflict and another excuse to continue using fossil fuels

Ireland falling well short of its retrofit targets, ESRI report finds

Underdelivery linked to several factors including high costs, administrative complexity and information constraints

We are consuming our way into a climate crisis, and parcel delivery has speeded up the pace

Oxfam’s Postback scheme allows unwanted stuff to be taken to a charity shop straight from your door

Being in nature can be deeply restorative – something we all too easily forget

Losing routine contact with the living world results in less concern, less protection and less access. The antidote is evidence that conservation works

‘The wonder never left me’: Photos tell stories of the ocean in an era of warming seas

The Ocean Within is a photographic project exploring fish as living archives of the sea

Surprisingly unsmelly and financially sweet: Why 2026 could be biomethane’s big year

Ireland has a large agricultural sector where most farmers and food processors want to do the right thing, so it’s a no-brainer

Costa Rica gets back to nature after decades of deforestation

Paying farmers to swap cattle for conservation has helped sway the balance in biodiversity’s favour

Bray cliff walk an example of accelerating pace of coastal erosion

It will not be possible to save all coastal amenities from the ravages of climate change-induced erosion

Turning conflict into connection: ‘I must have experienced a tremendous amount of turbulence and conflict’

US founder of ‘Mediate Your Life’ John Kinyon traces his work in nonviolent communication back to early loss and a search for healing

Wind farm developer Coolglass awarded 50% of legal costs in landmark Supreme Court challenge

Court notes that An Coimisiún Pleanála prevailed in majority of grounds of appeal advanced by developer

Truly circular living - one power washer at a time

Clúid Housing is helping residents to save money by offering a free lending service for infrequently used items

Climate change and wine: The red wines we will be drinking in the future

How to Drink Better: As temperatures rise, some regions in Europe are allowing growers to plant new varieties, although it’s not always straightforward

The Irish roads and bridges most at-risk from intensifying extreme weather

Transport Infrastructure Ireland analysis shows climate change threatens national routes, from motorways to rural ‘lifeline’ roads

Ecologists are leaving the field as AI moves in

Technology is revolutionising how we gather and assess data on nature, presenting huge benefits and no little irony

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