Environment

CHRISTMAS, a time for getting together with family and friends, exchanging gifts, eating and drinking, talking and laughing. At religious ceremonies around this time, the Christian churches encourage their congregation to consider the meaning of Christmas. Christian churches and other religions have also become more vocal in encouraging action regarding climate change. Pope Francis in his encyclical letter in 2015 stated, “We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.” Christmas is a time to put our worries aside if we can, including those about this environmental challenge. Instead of worrying, doing something to reduce our climate impact can increase our enjoyment – and be easier on the wallet. A time for giving It’s interesting to think back on previous Christmases and consider the highlights. Gifts are certainly an important part, both giving and receiving. Do you remember what you gave and received last year? A …

WHILE the worst of Storm Barra has passed, Clare’s local authority is appealing to the public to remain cautious about resuming travel in the county. The possibility of trees being significantly weakened by the high gusts yesterday evening and falling later on today cannot be ruled out. Due to the wind direction during the severe weather event, many trees will have been weakened, and further work may need to be carried out to remove such danger. If members of the public come across any road hazards, they should report them to Clare County Council. During the morning the Municipal District crews will be evaluating the damage to the roads/coastal infrastructure and carrying out works as necessary to remove the danger. Fire Brigades across the county attended weather-related incidents from early Tuesday morning (06.50) until earlier today (04.30) dealing with fallen trees, cables, and property damage. There were no reported accidents to the Fire Service during the Status Red alert. During …

AS MANY as 3,700 properties in county Clare were without power in the early part of Wednesday following the ravages of Storm Barra. The main affected areas were in the west of the county where almost 2,500 homes were without power in and around Miltown Malbay. Most of the issues around Miltown have now been resolved. Crews from ESB Networks have been working hard to restore power and have been making good progress addressing faults in numerous areas. Problems persist however in Kilrush, Kilkee, Ennistymon and Ennis. The damage is mainly attributable to fallen trees on overhead lines as a result of the high winds. Due to the pressure on resources, ESB Networks does not expect to be able to restore power to many areas until Wednesday evening at the earliest and Wednesday 10pm in Ennistymon and Kilrush. Gale force winds associated with the storm, with gusts of over 130 km/h, caused extensive damage to the electricity network currently affecting …

SCHOOLS in county Clare that were closed today have been advised to remain shut tomorrow, Wednesday, December 8. The Department of Education is advising that all schools that are currently or forecast to be in a Red or Orange alert area should remain closed to allow for assessment of the impact of Storm Barra to take place. This includes counties Clare Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Limerick, Galway, Mayo and Wexford. Schools that are no longer in a Red or Orange Alert area can reopen, provided that, if there are concerns, school managers have had an opportunity to check for fallen wires and other serious damage in the vicinity of school buildings. If an individual school (in a yellow area) is still experiencing a particular local issue relating to the storm the Board of Management can make a decision to remain closed for tomorrow. All schools should keep up-to-date with the current weather warnings which are carried on all …

WITH Storm Barra expected to make its presence felt increasingly throughout the day, a wide range of services in Clare have been cancelled or curtailed. ESB Networks has been tackling power outages in the county from early this morning with a large disruption in Kilkee largely dealt with. With conditions set to worsen however, the company has issued a warning about its capacity to address faults straight away. A statement from the company said, “All internal resources are on alert and are responding to electricity outages once it is safe to do so. With a red weather warning in the Southwest in effect until tonight, and Co Clare until 1 am Wednesday morning, this means our crews may not be mobilised on the ground until the worst of the severe weather passes.” There was a loss of power in Kilkee from 6.30am. Crews from ESB Network addressed the issue and by 12pm, power had been restored to most areas in …

THE weather warning issued for county Clare on Tuesday, December 7, has been upgraded from orange to red. CLARE County Council is one of a number of bodies to issue a weather warning in advance of the arrival of Storm Barra on Tuesday with disruptions to power supply and travel likely. An Orange wind warning had been issued for County Clare, among others on the western seaboard, but Clare along with Kerry and Cork has been upgraded to red. Gusts of up to 130 kilometres per hour along with heavy rain is expected to lead to coastal or spot flooding and dangerous driving conditions. The warning for Clare is live from 4pm tomorrow and will run until 1am on Wednesday. Met Eireann had issued a red warning forecasting violent Storm Force 11 winds during Tuesday on Irish coastal waters from Mizen Head to Loop Head to Slyne Head. The Coast Guard is appealing to all mariners and coastal communities to …

THE Clare branch of Birdwatch Ireland will a joint outing with the Limerick branch to Curraghchase Forest Park, Kilcornan, County Limerick on Saturday, November 27.  This is a beautiful setting for a wildlife walk. Those attending will look for Jay, Brambling, Hawfinch as well as more common woodland birds. Large flocks of Chaffinch and Goldfinch are often seen on the annual visit. A sharp look out will also be kept for Treecreeper and Buzzard, both common in the area. Red Squirrels are usually present too. The meeting point will be the car park inside the barrier, there those attending are asked to gather at 9.30am. Entry is free. To gain maximum enjoyment from the event binoculars are recommended. In the current climate sharing of optical equipment is not advised. The advice is to wear warm clothing and bring a flask and sandwiches. Food is available in a number of nearby outlets. A memorable event is anticipated, especially in dry sunny …

THE impact on the environment of importing fracked gas into the Shannon Estuary will be worse over a 20-year period than importing coal to generate electricity in Moneypoint, a local environmentalist has claimed. Shannon LNG has outlined its plans to seeking planning permission from An Bord Pleanála to build a €650 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal between Ballylongford and Tarbert in North Kerry. An LNG terminal is a facility for regasifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipped in by an LNG tanker from production zones. Johnny McElligott, Tarbert of Safety Before LNG, has been opposing the proposed gas terminal for years. In his address to the rally, Mr McElligott alleged that importing fracked gas from the United States of America into the Shannon Estuary will have a 44% higher carbon equivalent footprint over a 20-year period than importing coal from Colombia to burn in Moneypoint. “We are going to close Moneypoint because it looks good, but we are going to …