The Askifou Plateau, a karst polje at 750m above sea level in Sfakia, Crete

I know #WildflowerHour is for British and Irish flora but I just can’t resist posting these beautiful Cretan Tulips (Tulipa saxatilis) from the Omalos plateau, 1000m above sea level in western Crete!

Wildflowers at ancient Aptera, western Crete

Fuel protests reveal flawed relationship between farms, fertilisers and food Farmers have warned of food shortages but Ireland imports most of what it eats

No ports - No food.

Ireland is neither food or fodder secure. Most of what we eat is imported & the food we produce is dependant on imports of fodder & fertilizers.

Irish farmers aren't to blame for this but simplistic narratives won't help untangle this mess.
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

Fuel protests reveal flawed relationship between farms, fertilisers and food Farmers have warned of food shortages but Ireland imports most of what it eats

Fuel protests reveal flawed relationship between farms, fertilisers and food

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

Ireland’s largest carbon polluters reduced emissions in 2025 - apart from two sectors

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

This is a really important story. If Europe makes Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) with products of beef farming linked with tropical deforestation, then we're only decarbonising on paper and getting nowhere.

We import 84% of our fruit and veg. We can't live on meat and dairy alone. I'm fully in favour of better supports for Irish farmers and giving everything needed to help them to transition to actually putting food on our tables in a meaningful way, but we need to stop greenwashing our current system

Senators criticise An Taisce for challenging EU's nitrates decision An Taisce is arguing the European Commission failed to protect Irish water quality amidst rising pollution levels

Standing up for public interest and scientific evidence can be tough - even unpopular - but @antaisce.bsky.social 's stand in calling out extension of Ireland's nitrates derogation is for a better future for all - not short-term sectoral gain.

ttps://www.irishexaminer.com/farming/arid-41823440.html

Senators criticise An Taisce for challenging EU's nitrates decision An Taisce is arguing the European Commission failed to protect Irish water quality amidst rising pollution levels

This has been a very long battle for @antaisce.bsky.social in the face of much abuse, misinformation and a wrong decision from the EU to give Ireland another derogation despite worsening pollution. Fair play to them for not giving up!

www.irishexaminer.com/farming/arid...

I missed #WildflowerHour but here are some spring blossoms from Conamara anyway! Lesser celandine (grán arcáin), blackthorn (draighean), violet (common dog-?) (fanaigse?) and primrose (sabhaircín)

Is the Emissions Glass Half Full or Half Empty? Emeritus Professor John Sweeney, Irish Climate Analysis and Research UnitS (ICARUS), Maynooth University writes that while optimistic noises may be made about our progress in limiting emissions, the u...

While optimistic noises may be made about our progress in limiting emissions, the underlying problem is not being tackled by effective policy measures.

While our EU partners have achieved average emission reductions of 40% since 1990, we have managed a measly 5%.

www.antaisce.org/news/is-the-...

EU legal watchdog urged by @eeb.org to probe how EU Commission loosened rules for manure application.
➡️ EC based RENURE proposal (+50% nitrogen) on a single, narrow study, without: proper assessment, or evidence from its own scientific body, or consultation with citizens.
eeb.org/en/eu-legal-...

The eastern shore of Muighinis at low tide today. (the fault scarp along the shoreline provided shelter from the chilly north-west wind!)

My latest column: Ireland’s data centre policy will drive significantly greater fossil fuel use, contradicting multiple statutory and policy targets which require rapid reductions instead.

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

‘You can holiday in Vietnam for the price of a week in Greece’: budget travel strategies that work Better with Money with Aideen Finnegan: Travel hacks, myths and ways to holiday in 2026 without breaking the bank

Sure, why stop at emitting a few hundred kilos of CO₂ when you can go all in and rack up over a tonne by flying to Vietnam instead?

I genuinely can’t wrap my head around why these kinds of articles are still being written in 2026.

For those of you feeling the effects of that all important one hour of sleep we lost over the weekend, did you ever wonder why we have daylight savings time?🧵1/6

@atu-ie.bsky.social @mtu.ie

Photo of a bridge over a river

Clean water has been in the legal news a lot this week, throughout the island of Ireland.

And while the legal and technical arguments can be lengthy and complicated, the aim is very simple.

We're all working to try to protect our rivers, lakes and seas from pollution. Our waters are life.

Harms to Lough Neagh tragic & avoidable

Meanwhile, Wexford's Lady's Island Lake similarly suffers:
"This lake, from many points of view, is dead," said Dr Brendan O'Connor, co-author of EPA report indicating agricultural run-off source of excess nutrients — measuring 7x what it should be.

Lough Neagh eel fisherman launches High Court challenge over pollution Declan Conlon's family fished the lough for generations before his "way of life was destroyed by blue-green algae"

Fisherman Declan Connolly launches legal challenge over Lough Neagh pollution:
“This isn’t just about my livelihood – it’s about justice for the lough before there’s nothing left for next generation.”

open.substack.com/pub/theearth...
@shaunacorr.bsky.social
#waterpollution
#waterqualitymatters

High nitrogen levels in major Irish rivers concerning:

"Catchment nitrogen levels are markedly higher in east, south & southeast, compared to catchments in west & northwest.

"In both groups of catchments, nitrogen levels have increased in 2025, relative to 2024"

Source: lnkd.in/dreEpxpE

What’s this you say? Record-breaking heatwave a terrifying glimpse into #climate breakdown?

We’ll need to choose our images carefully here…how about a nice paddle by the seaside on a sunny day? Yes, that’ll definitely get the message across.

💧This World Water Day let's celebrate our beautiful blue island!

🚨However, did you know that more than half of Ireland’s rivers and lakes are in an unhealthy state?

✉️Sign up to our email list to take action. 🔗 https://swanireland.ie/email-news-signup/

#WorldWaterDay

On this World Water Day, let's celebrate the importance of this vital resource and why it's so worth protecting

Clean water = life

#worldwaterday
#cleanwater
#waterqualitymatters

Last year when Ireland got an allowance/derogation from the EU to use more nitrates than the rest of Europe, nitrate pollution in Irelands major rivers had an increase of 10%!

We need to off-ramp Irish agriculture from the derogation now to save our rivers.

www.epa.ie/publications...

New data from EPA:

'Nitrogen concentrations in rivers increased by 10% in 2025 ... Nitrogen levels in south‑eastern half of country are too high to support good ecological health in water bodies ... Primary source of nitrogen in Irish rivers is agriculture'

www.epa.ie/publications...

This is not a good news story.
The data centre runs on fossil fuels.

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

Thank you to @codohertynews.bsky.social for covering our @researchireland.ie funded research in this mornings @irishtimes.com

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Background to An Taisce's new Water Quality Case and why it is important An Taisce filed an application to the High Court seeking a judicial review of the sixth Nitrates Action Programme earlier this week. We wanted to share the background to what's been going on and the i...

Background to An Taisce's new Water Quality Case and why it is important

An Taisce filed an application to the High Court seeking a judicial review of the Government's sixth Nitrates Action Programme earlier this week.

To read more about the case:
www.antaisce.org/news/backgro...

Ireland has no known legal commercial peat extraction. Yet it exported €40m worth last year More than 370,000 tonnes of material sold to 21 different countries in 2025, including Israel

How is this possible?? €40 million worth of commercial peat being exported - including to Israel - despite there being no commercial extraction industry now ! @epaireland.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...