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Open
PIPE DREAM: Are delays in water infrastructure upgrades holding up rural development?
Ireland
It is government policy to encourage development of rural towns and villages due to the environmental, climate and social benefits for society including people living close to services, reducing car dependency and strengthening local communities.
11 Backers raised €370 of €2200
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Open
HANDS ON DECK: Are migrant workers being exploited in the Irish fishing industry?
Ireland
Extremely long working hours with few breaks and very low wages are among the poor conditions that face migrant workers in the Irish fishing fleet.
3 Backers raised €170 of €3750
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Open
BUNGALOW BLITZ: Is our rural housing model bad for sustainable planning?
Ireland
One-off housing in rural Ireland has been a bone of contention for at least half a century. In the 1970s, An Foras Forbartha - the precursor to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - warned that scattered rural housing was costing the State up to five times more to service than closely knit dwellings for road maintenance and supply of electricity, waste, and other services.
6 Backers raised €145 of €2880
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Open
SOIL INVADERS: Are invasive plants spreading out of control in Ireland?
Ireland
Invasive alien species represent one of the main threats to biodiversity and related ecosystem services - especially on islands, according to the European Commission.
21 Backers raised €402 of €2940
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Completed
OVER THE HILL: Can overgrazing on Ireland’s vulnerable habitats be stopped?
Ireland
Intensive grazing and overgrazing is impacting almost 40% of all EU protected habitats in Ireland and is by far the most prevalent agricultural pressure in these areas.
32 Backers raised €1660 of €1660
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Open
BOTTOMLESS PIT: Why are some quarries operating outside planning laws?
Ireland
There are a spate of rules and regulations in place to ensure that quarries operate within the bounds of national and European law.
18 Backers raised €650 of €4290
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Open
EMPTY THE TANK: Are our septic tanks being managed correctly?
Ireland
There are nearly half a million septic tank systems in operation that can contaminate water sources with harmful bacteria, viruses and excess nutrients if not built and maintained properly.
8 Backers raised €135 of €1840
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Open
LIGHTS OUT: Why are we facing an Irish electricity crisis?
Ireland
As we face the climate crisis, a key strand of the State’s strategy to reduce our emissions is to electrify our energy, heat and transport systems using renewables such as wind and solar.
34 Backers raised €1320 of €2830
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Open
FAST FASHION: Are we doing enough to tackle fashion’s throwaway culture in Ireland?
Ireland
Lower prices and greater availability of clothes has led to the low-use throwaway culture dubbed fast fashion.
10 Backers raised €235 of €3140
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Funded
IN THE WEEDS: How toxic is our use of weedkillers at home and by public authorities?
Ireland
There is ample scientific evidence that herbicides used to kill weeds can cause long-term damage to pollinator insects. There are now emerging links to impacts on human health.
84 Backers raised €2420 of €2420
 Funded 
Open
UP MANURE CREEK: Why is traditional slurry spreading happening when it’s bad for human health?
Ireland
Slurry is one of the most popular fertilisers on farms as the manure and water mix offers a cheap boost of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to boost grass and crop growth.
16 Backers raised €525 of €2310
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Open
DEBT OF DAIRY: Is State agri-expansion policy driving up debt in the dairy sector?
Ireland
On the face of it, the dairy sector is doing well; it has seen a resurgence in production and profit since the end of the milk quota in 2015.
5 Backers raised €225 of €2320
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Open
UP IN SMOKE: What role does domestic wood burning play in Ireland’s air pollution problems?
Ireland
Each year, 1,300 people die prematurely due to air pollution from solid fuel burning, including wood. The practice has come under the spotlight for its role in poor air quality in our towns and villages.
8 Backers raised €255 of €2340
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Open
WHAT THE FRACK: Is there a renewed risk of fracking on the island of Ireland?
Ireland
In July 2017, Ireland became one of only a handful of countries in the world to ban fracking - the controversial technique used to extract natural gas from areas rich in shale rock.
9 Backers raised €182 of €2390
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Completed
BREAKING THE BANKS: Are Irish riverside habitats under threat from over-maintenance?
Ireland
Clearing of vegetation from waterways is a regular occurrence across the country as part of the mandated maintenance of over 11,500km of channels and 800km of embankments.
82 Backers raised €3130 of €3100
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Open
SHORED UP: Can our laws catch up with the commercial use of our coasts?
Ireland
In recent years, Ireland's coastal areas have seen an upsurge in plans for commercial activities - from offshore wind farms to industrial-scale seaweed harvesting.
5 Backers raised €130 of €2550
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Open
SOAKED UP: Are lax rules on water extraction affecting our local water supplies?
Ireland
Water is taken from our rivers, lakes and groundwater in large volumes by the private sector, including water bottling companies and agri-food companies, and recreational businesses such as golf clubs.
20 Backers raised €565 of €2640
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Completed
FACTORY FARM: Are we prioritising profits over animal welfare and human health?
Ireland
The traditional image of the small Irish family farm is slowly slipping away with many farms growing more industrialised in response to ambitious production targets set by the State.
87 Backers raised €2730 of €2720
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Open
POSTCARDS OFFER: Give the gift of investigative journalism
Ireland
Have you enjoyed our award-winning reporting? This is your chance to share the gift of investigative journalism - and receive a set of limited edition Noteworthy postcards.
19 Backers raised €518 of €5000
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Open
PITCH IMPERFECT: Are astroturf pitches bad for our green spaces?
Ireland
Concerns have been raised internationally over the potential environmental impacts from small microplastic fibres used as infill on artificial sports pitches - with estimates of between 60 and 120 tonnes of the material required for one pitch alone.
8 Backers raised €170 of €2170
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Completed
TROUBLED WATERS: Are salmon fish farms harming our marine ecosystem?
Ireland
The fish farming industry is in a phase of rapid growth; it overtook global beef production in 2012.
43 Backers raised €2400 of €2400
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Open
RUNNING ON EMPTY: Is the motor industry putting the brakes on the shift to electric vehicles?
Dublin
Emissions from the transport sector are a major contributor to climate change, both globally and at home, and can pose a significant health risk, especially in built-up, populated urban areas.
21 Backers raised €600 of €1640
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Completed
ENDANGERED SPECIES: Can Ireland halt the decline of its precious biodiversity?
Ireland
Ireland’s biodiversity is under threat. According to a 2019 report, 85% of our EU protected habitats are in an “unfavourable” condition and 46% are showing ongoing decline.
59 Backers raised €1800 of €1800
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Completed
PEAT'S SAKE: Why have authorities failed to tackle unlicensed industrial peat extraction?
Ireland
Protection of our peatlands has been described by experts as the low hanging fruit in tackling the dual climate and biodiversity crises.
76 Backers raised €2530 of €2530
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Completed
CASH COW: Are subsidies encouraging unsustainable farming practices?
Ireland
The farm has a big role to play in the fight against climate change, yet experts argue that it is difficult to shift to a nature-friendly model while subsidies favour intensive production.
48 Backers raised €1150 of €1150
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Nearly Funded
EXOTIC WASTELAND: Where do soft plastics in our recycling bin end up?
Ireland
Soft plastics can now be placed in Irish recycling bins following a change in policy in September 2021. But how much of this actually ends up being recycled on our island?
47 Backers raised €980 of €1180
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Completed
SHEAR FORCE: Why are hedgerows still being cut during the prohibited season?
Ireland
Every summer, social media streams are inundated with photos of roadside hedges decimated across the country even though it is illegal to cut them from 1 March to 31 August.
54 Backers raised €1655 of €1630
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Open
FUELLING RETIREMENT: Are Irish pensions contributing to the climate crisis?
Ireland
In 2019, Ireland became one of the first countries in the world to divest its investment fund away from companies that make substantial profit from fossil fuels. However, the majority of private Irish pension funds still include companies involved in oil and gas exploration, extraction and refinement.
25 Backers raised €727 of €1240
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Open
LIVING IN THE SHADOW: What is the impact of wind farms on local communities?
Ireland
The Climate Action Plan aims to increase renewables renewable electricity to up to 80% by 2030, with onshore wind energy playing a big role in this expansion of renewable energy.
15 Backers raised €410 of €2060
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Completed
BANKS OF THE LEE: What is going to stop flooding in Cork city?
Cork
The Lee in Cork city has burst its banks on numerous occasions in the past and with sea levels set to rise due to climate change, concern is increasing about the need for better flood protection for its businesses and residents.
29 Backers raised €2900 of €2900
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Completed
NET LOSS: Is Ireland killing its own fishing industry... by overfishing?
Ireland
Declining fish stock is one the major challenges to the Irish fishing industry. One of Ireland’s most important fisheries, Celtic Sea herring, was closed last year just 48 hours after the seasonal fishery opened due to the small size of fish caught. Reduced levels of these fish also have an impact on animals who depend on them such as whales and dolphins.
16 Backers raised €1950 of €1950
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Completed
SPRUCED UP: Are coniferous trees killing our native ecosystem?
Ireland
A Government plan to plant almost 400 million trees by 2046 was announced as part of the Climate Action Plan in the past few months. There is a target of 70% conifers and 30% broadleaf for these new plantations which has led to some biodiversity advocates being concerned about the continued afforestation of Ireland by non-native conifers.
54 Backers raised €1950 of €1950
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Completed
COST OF CARBON: Are companies paying their fair share on emissions?
Ireland
Ireland is exceeding its greenhouse gas emissions targets by millions of tonnes per year. It has been warned that it is not doing enough, quickly enough, to reduce that excess.
74 Backers raised €2050 of €2050
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Completed
SOLVING SOLAR: Why are we not putting solar panels on the roof of every home in Ireland?
Ireland
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels use energy from the sun to create electricity. The price of these panels has dropped significantly over the past number of decades, so what is stopping households from installing them?
16 Backers raised €760 of €750
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Completed
DEAD END: Will Galway’s long promised ring road make a significant difference to traffic congestion in the city?
Galway
It was 1999 when a bypass was first proposed for the city of Galway. Since then, traffic congestion has grown ever worse and long delays have become a feature of daily life for those who live and work there. For a relatively compact city, congestion is far worse than might be expected, not least because public transport options are so limited.
39 Backers raised €1200 of €1200
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Completed
LYING IDLE: How many state properties are lying vacant around the country.
Ireland
The Office of Public Works manages over 2,500 properties around Ireland on behalf of the state.
9 Backers raised €360 of €350
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Completed
SEPTIC SWIM: Is enough being done to keep Dublin Bay safe for swimmers this summer?
Dublin
Effluent leaks have resulted in pollution incidents along the eastern coastline at least twice so far this year - and bathing restrictions were put in place at popular Dublin beaches.
2 Backers raised €400 of €400
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Completed
CUT DOWN TO SIZE: Why are Ireland's local authorities so keen to chop down trees?
Ireland
Across Ireland, locals have been dismayed to see trees and bushes chopped down by public bodies.
47 Backers raised €1100 of €1100
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Completed
NOT SO FAST: Strategic Housing Development speeds up planning process for developers but is it helping increase the supply of accommodation?
Ireland
In June 2017, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy introduced a new system of fast-track planning for housing developments.
2 Backers raised €404 of €400
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