Watch it Back - Two webinars on Irish Climate Law

We saw the power of legislation to hold the Government to account in August when the Supreme Court struck down the Government’s hopelessly inadequate 2017 climate action plan because it didn’t comply with the provisions of the 2015 Climate Action Act. That 2015 law was the result of 8 years of campaigning by Freinds of the Earth and the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition.

Now, at our urging, the Government parties have promised to publish a new, stronger climate law within the first 100 days of their administration, by 5th October. Ahead of this milestone, Stop Climate Chaos hosted two webinars to delve into Irish climate law and legislation.

The first webinar examined the Supreme Court judgement from August - and what it means for climate action in Ireland. We were delighted to be joined by Dr. Andrew Jackson, on behalf of the Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) legal team, who played a leading role in the Climate Case Ireland legal action which led to the Supreme Court Judgement. We also heard from Sadhbh O’Neill, Stop Climate Chaos Policy Coordinator, who contributed to the Climate Case as a member of FIE. The webinar examined the groundbreaking nature of this case - noting that Ireland is one of only two countries to see a successful challenge to government climate policy in the courts. Dr Jackson also provided a fascinating insight into how the case was successfully argued, and commented on what should be included in Ireland’s new climate law. You can watch a recording of the webinar here.

 

 

The second webinar focused on what should be in Ireland’s new climate law and explored where the law fits in the broader push for faster and fairer climate action. Speakers included Oisin Coghlan, Director of Friends of the Earth and Sadhbh O’Neill, Stop Climate Chaos Policy Coordinator. We were also delighted to welcome Dr Diarmuid Torney as a guest speaker. An associate professor at the DCU School of Law and Government, Dr Torney specialises in climate governance and global climate politics. He has written about Ireland’s Climate Law in the Irish Times and contributed to the 2017 Citizens' Assembly as an expert adviser. You can watch this second webinar here.