Dear John,

The Stop Climate Chaos coalition has been quieter than normal for a while because it’s quite some time since we have had a dedicated coordinator to help the member organisations ramp up our collective activities.

I’m delighted to report that Stop Climate Chaos is now recruiting a coordinator to work four days a week. The ad is live on our website and if you or anyone you know might be interested you have until midnight next Wednesday 30th to apply. All the details are online here. Please do spread the word.

Meantime, our coalition has not been entirely quiet. We had another eye-catching photo stunt before Irish officials headed to the UN climate summit, COP29, in Baku in November. An oil-drenched Lady Justice proclaimed that with climate breakdown hitting the poorest hardest “global leaders must step up action to break the grip of the fossil fuel industry on our futures”. The photo made a big splash in the Irish Times and Independent. Have a look here.

Stop Climate Chaos co-sponsored a climate hustings before the General Election with Friends of the Earth and the DCU Centre for Climate and Society. Representatives of the seven political parties that passed the 2021 climate law by 129 votes to 10 were grilled about how they would actually uphold the law in practice. You can read a summary of the discussion here, and watch it back in full here. Stop Climate Chaos also published its own manifesto calling on parties to form  a Government for Faster and Fairer Climate Action.

In fact, the new Government is paying lip service to the climate law and the binding limits on pollution that flow from it but in practice they are not following up with the urgent action needed to actually deliver fair and fast emissions reductions. Stop Climate Chaos set out three key tests for the 2025 Climate Action Plan published last week, but the actual plan was underwhelming. Stop Climate Chaos and the members of the coalition did a blitz of media work in reaction that we hope will become the norm again when we have a new coordinator. You can check out some of it here: RTE Drivetime (starts 9 ½ minutes in), Newstalk Breakfast, Radio and Gaeltachta (thanks Chloe from Community Work Ireland!), The Irish Times, RTE, The Journal, and The Gathering on last Friday’s Claire Byrne Show.

We know that active citizens and strong climate campaigning are going to be fundamental to making sure Ireland upholds the climate law and moves towards doing its fair share to tackle the causes and consequences of climate breakdown. Stop Climate Chaos is committed to playing its part in that and there’ll be lots of opportunities for you to get involved, and get together too, through Stop Climate Chaos member organisations and the coalition as a whole.

I’m holding the fort while we recruit a permanent coordinator and we’ll keep you posted on that and our plans for the rest of the year - which culminates in November with COP30 in Brazil, ten years on from the Paris Agreement - in the weeks ahead.

All the best

Oisín

P.S. Don’t forget to spread the word about the job ad for Stop Climate Chaos coordinator. Closing date is 11.59pm on Wednesday 30 April.

Stop Climate Chaos is a coalition of civil society organizations campaigning to ensure Ireland does its fair share to tackle the causes and consequences of climate change.