Publications

The NECP update was a critical moment for Ireland to align its climate policies with both national and EU goals and to strengthen its commitment to a just transition. As Ireland faces increasing pressure to meet its 2030 climate and energy targets, the NECP update provided a unique opportunity to address gaps in existing policies, integrate new climate commitments, and...

This paper outlines Environmental Justice Network Ireland’s initial response to Ireland’s Long-term Strategy on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions (2024). The Strategy was published June 26th, 2024.

This joint assessment represents the collaborative work of the Environmental Justice Network Ireland (EJNI), and the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition Ireland.  This document is an assessment of Ireland’s final draft NECP.

The concept of ecocide is gaining traction globally, with several countries, including Member States of the European Union, adopting or considering legislation. • The EU is moving towards greater environmental corporate responsibility by revising its Environmental Crime Directive (2008/99/EC) directive to include “offences comparable to ecocide”. • Both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland have environmental laws, but neither effectively...

‘Rights of nature’ (RoN) is an emerging and evolving paradigm that recognises the intrinsic rights of ecosystems and species to evolve, flourish, and regenerate. The possibility of adopting a rights of nature approach on the island of Ireland has been the subject of increasing attention, with academics, NGOs and grassroots communities exploring how a concept that has been adopted in...

The purpose of this short briefing is to provide an update on recent environmental developments in the aftermath of Brexit and to outline the actual or potential implications for the future of environmental governance in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

In December 2023, Ireland published its draft updated NECP, months late and without complying with public participation requirements. This briefing paper sets out why the NECP revision process is so important, why the approach adopted by Ireland has been so problematic to date and what must be done to course-correct at this critical juncture for Ireland’s planning for net-zero.

This report is part of an Environmental Justice Network Ireland (EJNI) project exploring strategic litigation on the island of Ireland, funded by the European Climate Foundation. The report has been informed by deskbased research and an initial scoping exercise which involved a small, focused (Chatham House Rules1) workshop for NGOs and an event bringing together the key players in strategic...

This report summarises issues identified in the climate governance architecture of the EU, focusing on access to information in relation to the preparation of the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs).

A background paper regarding access to information on emissions in a cross-border context on the Island of Ireland post-Brexit.

Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in Britain or Ireland, is vital to local communities but faces long-standing management issues. These include environmental damage from unregulated sand extraction, habitat loss, declining fish and bird populations, and serious water pollution. Recent concerns have sparked calls for public ownership. This briefing explains the current ownership situation, why it's problematic, and suggests alternative...

It is vital that the National Long-Term Climate Action Strategy (nLTS) demonstrates how Ireland will achieve complete decarbonisation across all sectors of the economy, including transport, housing, aviation and shipping. This submission recommends five key areas to include in the revision of the Long-Term Climate Action Strategy. These are: set, and achieve ambitious, climate targets; phase out fossil fuel importation...

This is an executive summary of the Linking the Irish Environment Report

Aims of the Project The aim of the ‘Linking the Irish Environment’ project is to examine how to enhance the ability of the environment sector across the island of Ireland to cooperate and engage on an all-island and cross-border basis to deal with shared environmental challenges, risks, and opportunities. This report has been commissioned by the Northern Ireland Environment Link...

This presentation summarises issues identified in two separate but related collaborative research projects on cross border environmental co-operation and justice issues : 1) “Finding Common Ground” an all-island study of the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Ireland/Northern Ireland which was conducted collaboratively with Irish and Northern Irish NGOs and academics 2) “Linking the Irish Environment”, this research sought to...

The following statement on behalf of the Environmental Justice Network of Ireland will highlight some key recent challenges to Access to Justice and upcoming developments. These include the presentation of a Bill in Ireland that seeks to drastically reduce access to justice in environmental matters, in the name of speeding up the planning process, a review of the missed opportunities...

EJNI research has identified persistent concerns about the scale and handling of illegal dumping in Northern Ireland and on the island of Ireland. Stakeholders from across a range of backgrounds agree that a public inquiry is the most appropriate mechanism through which to establish the nature and extent of failures within the current system and identify ways of preventing recurrence...