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Irish Examiner
28-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Ensuring climate action and clean technologies are accessible and fair
The Feminist Communities for Climate Justice project is a joint initiative of Community Work Ireland and the National Women's Council of Ireland, which seeks to promote both sustainability and fairness in climate change policy. We have built a national network of more than 140 groups and individuals to highlight climate policies that put people and planet first: that can be transformative in creating a fairer, cleaner, more sustainable future in which all women, communities, workers and countries are lifted by climate action. To date, we have collaborated with Maynooth University to develop a certificate in Community Work for a Changing Ireland for community workers and activists, and published a baseline report into Feminist Climate Justice covering six thematic areas covering care, housing, transport, food, health and a just transition. We have four active working groups and in the next phase of the project we will be rolling out a new campaign to broaden out the public discussion of what climate action looks like, and how healthy communities need to be central to the climate policies of government. Our research has found that women and marginalised communities in Ireland are more vulnerable to climate change impacts. And that poorly-designed climate policies that fail to correct underlying inequalities only continue to exclude and marginalise these communities further. For example, low-income communities in both urban and rural areas often experience a higher pollution burden due to the prohibitive cost of replacing fossil fuel-based heating systems like peat, coal, oil and gas with heat pumps and insulation. Petrol and diesel cars are often the only option in rural areas that are not served well by public transport and for people with disabilities or caring roles. If clean technologies are prohibitively expensive and grants are targeted at those with higher incomes, the people who often need them the most cannot benefit from them. Socially just climate action also means delivering energy policies that support those who struggle the most with rising energy costs. This should ideally mean locally-owned renewable energy resources that deliver tangible benefits directly to the communities that host them. Members of Feminist Communities for Climate Justice: "It is vital that the voices of marginalised communities are heard in climate policy decision-making." In Ireland, the idea that women will be affected more than men by the climate crisis may not be obvious at first. We live in a country that claims to support equality for women. However, the reality is that women are, on average, poorer than men. They therefore have fewer resources to counter the impact of the crisis and invest in alternative, more sustainable products and solutions. Almost half of lone parents — mostly women — live in deprivation and private rented accommodation, struggling to pay rising energy costs and without access to retrofitting schemes. Unequal impacts Sunshine is always welcome, however highest temperature records for April were broken at 17 weather stations across Ireland — a further sign that Ireland is not immune to the phenomenon of global heating. In fact, 2024 was the first year that the Earth crossed the 1.5°C global warming threshold. Storm Éowyn and recent floods are a stark reminder of Ireland's vulnerabilities. Across Europe, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and flooding are putting a strain on people's health, livelihoods and public infrastructure. While Ireland's average temperatures have increased in line with climate models, we don't particularly notice the slow creep of global heating ourselves, especially during summers when it seems like the sun barely shines at all. Yet subtle changes in the climate system will likely lead to more dramatic consequences over time: more extreme rainfall, more drought, more flooding. The 2023 synthesis report of the Irish Climate Change Assessment notes that the consequences of global heating for Ireland are likely to be profound, with more extreme weather events likely to become more frequent and more intense. But what we often fail to recognise is the way that climate change — along with policies designed to manage and prevent climate change — often has unequal impacts. While extreme weather and policy measures will affect everyone, whether directly or indirectly, some people and communities are much more vulnerable than others. Many other social groups are challenged by climate action policies because of their identities, for example the Traveller community, migrants or people who are dependent on jobs and sectors that are carbon intensive. We need to carefully design climate policies and investments to ensure we are responding to the needs of communities on the ground, and not to just seek the least-cost emission reductions. As a first step, the Government should collect detailed data on gender, disability and ethnicity to aid in gender, poverty and equality-proofing climate policies. It is also vital that the voices of marginalised communities are heard in climate policy decision-making. Care work is another example of how climate and gender intersect. Most care work is carried out by women and this changes the way energy and transport services are used. A study carried out by Transport Infrastructure Ireland in 2020 called 'Travelling in a Woman's Shoes' found that women rely heavily on cars to carry out caring journeys, with 95% of women outside of Dublin and 79% of women inside Dublin seeing cars as necessities. Sustainable mobility for all means putting the needs of people with disabilities and children first in the planning process and ensuring that public transport is both safe and accessible, with timetables that cater to a variety of needs beyond the typical work-home commute. By failing to consider the lived reality of women, current climate policies are making the lives of many harder. Climate action that is only available to those who own their own homes, or who can afford to purchase an electric vehicle is more like business-as-usual than the transformation towards sustainability and equality we need. If the Government is serious about climate action it will seek to align Ireland's economic and taxation policies with those that are compatible with planetary boundaries and a safe and equal future for all. As women, community workers and feminists, we are ready to lead. We believe that actions to reduce Ireland's climate impact and its disproportionate effects on marginalised communities and those living in poverty requires a strong focus on community work. Community development strengthens the consciousness, capacity and confidence of local communities to act on climate change issues. But communities will only be able to do this if the Government shows real leadership and puts the voices of those most impacted by climate change at the centre of decision making. Sadhbh O'Neill is the project lead for the National Women's Council of Ireland and Community Work Ireland project Feminist Communities for Climate Justice, funded by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications under the Community Climate Action Programme: Climate Education, Capacity Building and Learning by Doing (Strand 2). Read More Why sustainability in Ireland demands more than goodwill
The Journal
20-05-2025
- The Journal
Sentences for coercive control 'must reflect seriousness' of crime
SENTENCES FOR PEOPLE convicted of coercive control must reflect the seriousness of the crime, the National Women's Council of Ireland has said. The remarks from the women's organisation come after a man was given a wholly suspended sentence after pleading guilty to a campaign of abuse and coercive control against in wife in Dublin between 2019 and 2022 . Mr Justice Martin Nolan said last week that 44-year-old Ian Barry's actions towards his wife were 'disgraceful' before suspending his three-year sentence in full, under strict conditions. Coercive control was criminalised in Ireland in 2018. It is when someone 'knowingly and persistently' engages in behaviour that is controlling and coercive and has a serious effect on a person. Ivanna Youtchak, the violence against women coordinator at the women's council, said the serious and complex crime typically includes multiple forms of abuse including, emotional, financial, psychological and physical abuse. Dublin's Circuit Criminal Court heard that Barry was verbally abusive to his wife, calling her names including 'Adolf' and a 'liar'. The couple were married for 17 years. The victim told gardaí in late 2022 that the behaviour began towards the end of the relationship. Barry subjected his wife to physical violence by throwing objects at her and exerted full financial control over her, forcing her to account for every penny spent and checked shopping bags and receipts, the court heard. Following the end of the relationship in 2022, the court heard that Barry continued to use a Ring doorbell camera to monitor the house, accessing it 32 times in one day before it was removed. Barry would be verbally abusive in some situations, including if he wasn't happy with meals or considered the house untidy. Advertisement Judge Nolan heard that Barry kicked the dishwasher if it was not empty, and threw meals on the floor or in the bin if he wasn't pleased with them. 'You have a lot to make up for,' Judge Nolan told the man, adding that if he is to harass or make the victim miserable again that he would be back in court 'and you won't escape that time'. Youtchak said coercive control is a serious crime that often has 'devastating long term impacts for women and children'. She said it was crucial that coercive control sentencing reflects the serious nature of the crimes, she added. 'As more and more cases of coercive control come before the courts, there is a need to ensure initial and ongoing quality training on domestic abuse including coercive control for legal professionals in the criminal justice systems.' In March, the Garda Inspectorate Report said that 90% of front-line gardaí, who are often the first to respond to domestic abuse incidents, underwent specific training for coercive control last year. Incidents of coercive control have come before the courts on a number of occasions so far this year, including one case where a man was jailed for six-and-a-half years after he made threatening remarks to his partner. In the case of Ian Barry, his solicitor put to garda detectives that he had indicated an early guilty plea, cooperated with the investigation and appeared voluntarily at a station in Dublin for his first interview. During that interview, he told investigating gardaí that he was 'not a perfect husband' but that he 'hadn't done anything to warrant being in a garda station'. He described the incidents outlined in court as 'accidents'. Barry also called himself the 'victim' who was 'being provoked'. His solicitor later indicated to the court that the software engineer was in serious debt at the time and felt remorse, shame and accepted responsibility for his actions towards his wife. He did not recognise his actions at the time as coercive control, but now realises his behaviour was 'intolerable', counsel said. If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, you can reach out for support through the following helplines. These organisations also put people in touch with long-term supports: Women's Aid's 24-hour National Freephone Helpline: 1800 341 900 Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
