Noteworthy

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EXOTIC WASTELAND: Is Irish recycling waste ending up in illegal dumps abroad?

Dublin

Until recently, China was the destination of choice for Europe’s rubbish as the world’s largest reusable and packaging waste importer.

6 Backers raised €115 of €2700

Open

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.

39 Backers raised €1050 of €1630

Open

FUELLING RETIREMENT: Are Irish pensions contributing to the climate crisis?

Ireland

Ireland last year became one of the first countries in the world to remove companies which obtain more than a fifth of their revenues from fossil fuels from the State’s investment fund.

7 Backers raised €125 of €1240

Open

LIVING IN THE SHADOW: What is the impact of wind farms on local communities?

Ireland

The government’s Climate Action Plan aims to increase reliance on renewables from 30% to 70%. Part of this drive would involve increasing renewable onshore wind energy capacity to a level that equates to introducing over 2,300 more wind turbines to the landscape.

4 Backers raised €105 of €2060

Open

PRIVATE TREATMENT: Are private wastewater works more polluting than public plants?

Ireland

Raw, untreated sewage is released into the environment from 77,000 people across 36 Irish towns and villages, a recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found. In 2018, over 20 cities and towns - producing over 50% of Ireland’s urban waste water - had wastewater treatment plants that didn’t meet European Union standards.

3 Backers raised €61 of €1210

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

Open

THE PITS: Why is sewage being allowed to pollute one of the Aran Islands?

Galway

The Aran Islands are billed as having a “desolate beauty that draws countless day trippers” by Lonely Planet but in one of its main villages locals are kicking up a stink.

3 Backers raised €60 of €1250

Open

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.

8 Backers raised €235 of €1950

Funded

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

Nearly Funded

COST OF CARBON: Are companies paying their fair share on emissions?

Ireland

Ireland is exceeding its greenhouse gas emissions by millions of tonnes per year. It has been warned that it is not doing enough, quickly enough, to reduce that excess.

56 Backers raised €1541 of €2050

Open

TESTING THE WATERS: Where in Ireland has the most polluted tap water?

Ireland

Decades of under-investment, crumbling infrastructure, and leaking pipes have left Ireland’s water supply on a knife edge.

1 Backer raised €10 of €1400

Open

WILD HORSES: Is the number of loose urban horses - and potential neglect - on the rise?

Dublin

Urban horses have been a feature of some parts of Dublin and other Irish cities for decades. There have been attempts in the past to use initiatives and deterrents to reduce the numbers left to roam particular areas, and improve conditions for those remaining.

4 Backers raised €80 of €1850

Funded

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

Open

DERELICTION OF DUTY: How successful has the new vacant sites levy been in freeing up land for housing development around Ireland?

Ireland

It is one of the key planks of a government strategy to free up land for much-needed housing development. The vacant sites levy allows local authorities create a register of disused or derelict lands in their area. The owners of those lands would be charged an annual levy of 7% of the value of the land.

2 Backers raised €215 of €1500

Open

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.

22 Backers raised €615 of €1200

Open

SOMETHING IN THE AIR: Why is the air we breathe in Ireland getting more polluted?

Ireland

In the 1980s, Dublin choked beneath a cloud of smog with pollution seven times higher than the levels considered dangerous by the World Health Organisation. As smoky fuel began to be phased out, the black pall lifted and the city’s air returned to some semblance of normality.

13 Backers raised €255 of €1350

Open

DATA CRUNCH: What’s the environmental cost of having energy-consuming data centres in Ireland?

Ireland

The development of data centres is a key part of the government’s strategy for attracting foreign direct investment to Ireland.

5 Backers raised €150 of €1500

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

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

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

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