Equity Éire

Fix the money, fix the problem: 5 energy taxes that could help Ireland navigate an uncertain future.

The world is on fire. The nations most affected are overwhelmingly low- and middle-income countries that have contributed the least to global emissions but suffer disproportionately. In the midst of this enormous inter-generational climate crisis, attention needs to turn to who the main contributors to this problem are and how we can start to navigate […]

France’s Weight Tax on SUVs: A Practical Breakdown

Understanding the Weight Tax France´s weight tax is an annual road tax payable each year and is assessed based on the weight of the vehicle. France implemented a weight-based tax on SUVs and other high-emission vehicles to encourage the purchase of more environmentally friendly cars. This tax is essentially a surcharge added to the standard […]

The Climate and Transit Quiz

A note: Our group understands that not all journeys can be made by bus or public transport. The all-or-nothing fallacies are common. Statements like “We can´t all take the bus”, “Public transport is not reliable” etc.. are valid. With regard to projects like BusConnects, we recognise that issues exist regarding consultation and that there is some […]

Part 1: Is social mobility in Ireland falling and why does that matter?

Biological evolution gave humans a fairness instinct, and cultural evolution has promoted fairness above other competing values in the developed world because it critically enables complex cooperation, a crucial component for economic gain and rising living standards. Everyone has their own idea of which policies and ideas constitute “fairness” in a society and which are […]

5 things we need more than a 10th consecutive year of tax giveaways

The Irish government has consistently revised upwards the tax thresholds as part of its annual budgets since 2014. This means that the amount of income you can earn before paying higher tax rates has increased each year since 2014. This happened initially under a Fine Gael majority government and now happens as part of their […]

Significance of Air Pollution and Children’s Health

Long-Lasting effects Air pollution exposure in early childhood can have long-term consequences. Children who are born prematurely or with low birth weight because of a mother’s exposure to air pollution during pregnancy are at high risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, hypertension, and diabetes later in life (14, 15). Similarly, stunted lung growth caused by […]

Budget 2025 should focus on cooling the global temperature: We need a vehicle weight sales tax now.

Did you know, there has been a 1,000pc increase in SUV sales in Europe since 2001? The trends are the complete opposite of what climate action desperately needs and experts have warned that the Government must intervene to influence buyer choices. Small countries like Ireland who currently lead the charge on SUV ownership rates can […]

Part 2: Wealth inequality & housing: Blaming the migrants for a homegrown problem?

The question of a tax on extreme wealth comes up now and again in the Irish news cycle but never seems to gain any significant traction. Why is that? One thing we notice is as soon as someone mentions wealth taxes, hoards of people are quick to reply saying Ireland already has a plethora of […]

Projected Make-Up of EU Parliament Circle

European Elections 2024: Environmental Scorecard (Climate Action Network EUROPE)

With the upcoming European and local elections, migration is consistently cited as our biggest issue [1][2][3] but is it actually our greatest problem? Climate change is the single biggest threat to our existence and way of life in all of recorded human history. It is inextricably linked with everything from our life expectancy, food production, […]

What is the Paris Agreement?

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change that was adopted in 2015. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015. It entered into force on 4 November 2016. [1] The Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goal is to keep the rise […]