Full coverage: Biodiversity

Irish officials fear “significant fines and reputational damage” as the European Commission edges closer to legal action. The Government has now set up a steering group to crack down on unauthorised extraction – but it is too late to stave off a court date?

The corporate world has long invested time and money in activities doing more harm than good to the natural world. With biodiversity now living on borrowed time, UCD’s Shane McGuinness is leading the drive to flip the script.

Stricter environmental auditing requirements are coming, and the next government should help business get ready to turn Ireland into a climate technology leader, says the Green Party’s leader – but he sees no need to reform planning laws to facilitate this.