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This Act was signed into law by President Higgins on the 20th of December 2022 and will have significant implications for the regularisation of water abstractions in Ireland. Previous water abstraction legislation in Ireland was deemed by the Europea …

Only 1% of the earth’s freshwater is surface water, while groundwater accounts for the other 30%. On this basis alone the importance of managing and maintaining groundwater can not be understated. In undeveloped areas, rain falls on permeable surface …

Carbon dioxide causes the earth’s temperature to rise. According to the 2020 Global Status Report (GSR) for buildings and construction, 38% of total global energy-related CO2 emissions were generated from the construction industry in 2019 (UN, 2020). …

“Water is one of the most essential substances on earth, critical for human health, the production of food and for industrial activity. The provision of clean drinking water and a reliable wastewater service, in a manner that protects the natural env …

Flood risk is an area of global and national concern, with a vast history of flooding across Ireland. While flooding is a natural phenomenon, development within the floodplain has exacerbated the impact of flooding on people, the economy, and the env …

The 1987 United Nations (UN) Brundtland Report defined sustainable development as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Forty-five years later, a recent report …

The December 2015 Climate Conference in Paris (COP21) set as its target the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 20% between 2021 and 2030 across the European Union.  This target was increased to 30% in the Glasgow Climate Pact at COP26 in Novemb …

Blanket bogs are the most extensive of Ireland’s peatlands, originally covering an area of c.7750km2, and accounting for 8% of the world’s blanket bogs. But why exactly are they so important…? Where did they come from? Bogs represent compacted mass …

It is difficult to comprehend that across many countries worldwide there is severe drought and a scarcity of fresh drinking water, while here in Ireland we are prone to rainfall year-round and many of us have fresh drinking water from the turn of a t …