The National Case: What Would It Actually Cost?
Purchasing and rewilding 50-metre buffers along Ireland's 20,000km of at-risk rivers would cost approximately €6.3bn — €5bn in land acquisition and €1.3bn in establishment. Annual …
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Investigations
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What the Rivers Are Telling Us
The EPA's 2019-2024 assessment shows 48% of 4,842 water bodies are unsatisfactory — a declining trend. Short rotation coppice yields 8-12 odt/ha/year (Teagasc/Forest Research verified). …
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The Permits That Kill Good Ideas
A farmer who wants to rewild a riverbank faces 7 separate regulatory requirements across 15+ agencies. Professional fees alone run €10,000-28,000. Meanwhile, the opportunity cost …
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Algae, Rivers, and the Nutrient Nobody Wants
High-rate algal ponds produce ~30 tonnes dry biomass per hectare per year at Irish latitudes. A 2ha community-scale system could yield 40-60 tonnes annually, but …
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The Connection Nobody Made
Short rotation coppice on 1.95ha of riparian buffer produces ~20 odt/year of biomass by Year 7. Fed through an on-farm boiler, that qualifies for SEAI's …
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The Farmer's Impossible Choice
A 45-hectare Irish farm with a 1.95ha riparian buffer receives €2,984/year from ACRES. That covers 223% of the loss for suckler enterprises, 185% for cattle …
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The Riverbank Betrayal: Why Ireland's Rivers Are Dying
Ireland has just 2% native woodland cover — down from 80% post-glacial. Agriculture is the primary pressure on water quality, with 48% of assessed water …
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Green Hypocrisy: Cannabis, Hemp, and Ireland's War on Common Sense
Ireland criminalises cannabis despite its own Citizens' Assembly recommending decriminalisation. A global investigation into prohibition's racist origins, the industrial destruction of hemp, and the political …
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Your TD Is a Landlord. Here's How They Voted on Housing.
At least 19 sitting TDs have declared property interests in the Register of Members' Interests. One owns 27 properties. Another resigned as a minister over …
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