Full coverage: Environment

Tax and Brexit used to be at the top of the diplomatic agenda between Ireland and The Netherlands. Ambassador Adriaan Palm says environmental issues now take up most of his time, with Dutch companies targeting the new Irish offshore wind market.

Entrepreneur Pat Alley has spent three years fighting on multiple fronts. Yet his enthusiasm for Trifol, a potentially game-changing business that turns end-of-life plastic into wax, remains undimmed.

Having raised €5m to date, the Dublin-based environmental data analytics start-up is about to add flood defence monitoring to its existing products monitoring the presence of contaminants in a range of situations. Its founder Stephen McNulty is on this week’s podcast.

As the government continues to throw hundreds of millions at fuel and electricity bills, piecemeal measures become increasingly unfair and inefficient. Targeting and environmental nudging would get more bang for the same buck.

Harold Hutchinson, Head of Equity Research at Investec, believes policymakers have taken a narrow approach to the climate crisis and that a more holistic approach is required. He also believes Ireland can play a major role in developing renewable technologies.

The stubborn public perception that someone else will have to change their lifestyle to cut greenhouse gas emissions can give the impression that only innovation will solve the problem. The government's home retrofit scheme reaches into this gap.

Ten business leaders at the forefront of the transformation to a low-carbon future share their hopes and fears as Ireland gets to grips with global climate change.

The publication of the Climate Action Plan and the mixed reaction to COP26 at the end of last year set the scene for an acceleration of climate policy. This two-part series explores the joined-up approach required to harness the power of business in this effort.

The Climate Change Advisory Council has laid out what is feasible to cut Ireland’s greenhouse gas emission by half in ten years. It boils down to balancing disruption between the power, transport and heat used by every home and business or the agri-food sector supporting entire rural communities.

Of the many transport situations where driving a car makes little sense, business trips are the most obvious. The tax treatment of expenses claims offers one of the many avenues needed to tackle the disproportionate cost of the drive-everywhere mindset.