On April 2–3, 2025, climate action teams from all 31 Irish local authorities convened in Wexford for a pivotal two-day event marking the rollout of €29 million in Phase 3 funding for Local Authority Climate Action Plans (LA CAPs). This funding, administered by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), supports the implementation […]
Continue ReadingIn our ‘Field Diaries’ series, The Applied Ecologist is sharing stories from a range of different fieldwork experiences. In this post, Cassidy Waldrep shares her story working with waterfowl across the Atlantic Flyway. In the waterfowl world, many biologists grow up with a love for ducks and geese, some having hunted since they could walk. […]
Continue ReadingLily Dun, Western Sydney University in New South Wales, Australia, and The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia, discusses her article: Do trait-growth relationships vary with plant age in fire-prone heathland shrubs? When we think about plant growth, we often assume that certain functional traits—such as wood density, leaf structure, or biomass allocation—determine how fast […]
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Wrightbus, the Northern Ireland-based manufacturer renowned for pioneering hydrogen-powered buses, is at the forefront of a transformative £6.5 billion initiative aimed at revolutionising the UK’s green hydrogen sector. Dubbed Project HySpeed, this collaborative venture unites major industry players—including Centrica, Johnson Matthey, JCB, and ITM Power—to establish a robust hydrogen production infrastructure across the UK. A […]
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Altilium, a UK-based clean technology firm, has commenced construction of the nation’s first large-scale electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling and refining plant in Plymouth, Devon. The facility, known as ACT 3, is designed to process batteries from approximately 24,000 EVs annually, recovering critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, and graphite . Utilizing Altilium’s proprietary EcoCathode™ […]
Continue ReadingUK telecoms giant Virgin Media O2 has announced a 56% reduction in its direct (Scope 1 and 2) carbon emissions since 2020, placing it firmly on track to meet its 2030 target of a 90% cut, in line with Science Based Targets (SBTi). The progress was unveiled as part of the company’s annual Earth Day […]
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In a landmark push to accelerate climate innovation, the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, backed by Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation, has awarded $100 million to teams developing scalable technologies to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The competition, launched in 2021, sought solutions capable of removing at least 1,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, with […]
Continue ReadingKechang Niu, Nanjing University in China, discusses his article: Plant species loss reduces rare soil microbes through diversity effects amplified by multitrophic interactions Background A key reason for the flourishing of life on Earth is that diverse groups of organisms mutually thrive in changing environments. However, increasing evidence shows that we are suffering the sixth […]
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The New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) has expanded its climate-focused holdings with an additional $2 billion allocation to the FTSE Russell TPI Climate Transition Index, bringing its total investment in the index fund to $4 billion. This move is part of the fund’s broader effort to build a net-zero emissions investment portfolio by […]
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Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, has announced the launch of Biodiversity Duty Reporting Guidance for Public Bodies, a comprehensive guide to help public and state bodies fulfill their legal obligations to consider biodiversity in their operations. This new guidance is part of Ireland’s broader effort to combat the biodiversity […]
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