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GERMANY IS PLANNING to ban floodlights from dusk for much of the year as part of its bid to fight a dramatic decline in insect populations.
In a draft law, the country’s environment ministry has drawn up a number of new measures to protect insects, ranging from partially outlawing spotlights to increased protection of natural habitats.
“Insects play an important role in the ecosystem…but in Germany, their numbers and their diversity has severely declined in recent years,” reads the draft law, for which the ministry hopes to get cabinet approval by October.
The changes put forward in the law include stricter controls on both lighting and the use of insecticides.
Light traps for insects are to be banned outdoors, while searchlights and sky spotlights would be outlawed from dusk to dawn for ten months of the year.
The draft also demands that any new streetlights and other outdoor lights be installed in such a way as to minimise the effect on plants, insects and other animals.
The use of weed-killers and insecticides would also be banned in national parks and within five to ten metres of major bodies of water, while orchards and dry-stone walls are to be protected as natural habitats for insects.
The proposed reforms are part of the German government’s more general “insect protection action plan”, which was announced last September under growing pressure from environmental and conservation activists.
Weedkiller
Attention will now turn to the agriculture ministry, which is under pressure to deliver on promises such as an overall reduction in the use of pesticides.
Most notably, Germany said last September that it would phase out the controversial weed killer glyphosate as part of the insect action plan.
Environmentalists have welcomed the draft law but urged further action from the agriculture ministry.
“We will not stop insect decline with tinkering alone,” said Rolf Sommer, a director at the German chapter of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The environment ministry’s proposals were “a starting block for more insect protection”, but more reforms were needed to pesticide regulations he added.
The German Nature Conservation Association (DNR) meanwhile called on agriculture minister Julia Kloeckner to “do her homework” and deliver on the promise to phase out glyphosate by 2023.
In the past year, Germany has repeatedly made headlines with its efforts to protect insects.
Last April, the state government of Bavaria was caught off guard by a wildly popular petition calling for greater protection of bees.
Rather than putting the petition to a referendum, the state simply passed it straight into law after 1.75 million people signed it in a matter of months.
Earlier this year, electric car giant Tesla faced delays to the construction of its new “gigafactory” outside Berlin due to the relocation of several ant colonies away from the building site.
Lower the tax on fuel…. Lowers the cost of everything. It’s not THAT difficult.
@Greg Ward: also lowers the amount of money in the exchequer to pay for other things. Shinnernomics isn’t that bulletproof is it.
@TomTraubert: blame Uruguay!
@TomTraubert: the exchequer is currently having a windfall that wasn’t factored into annual budget. Recently read that additional taxes/duties on the approx 40c increase liter of fuel is as high as additional €250 Million per month.
@Greg Ward: the GREENS won’t allow it !!!
@TomTraubert: As for FFG economics that didn’t work out to well. Perhaps the Billions taken from the Irish economy and the Billions more to be repaid for the gangsterism of the banks would be useful now. The same bailout that Martin stated never happened. This under the tenur of FF/ Greens, now in government with FG who added to the mess.
@Greg Ward: no change in hell of that happening with Sleepy Eamo at the wheel.
@Alex Marquis: “no change in he’ll…”, English must be your second language. And “Sleepy Eamo…”, very Thrumpian, that.
@Sean O’Doherty: ‘hell’
@Sean O’Doherty: That condescension came back to bite you.
@Sean O’Doherty: *Trumpian I assume?!
@Sean O’Doherty: attack the message, not the messenger. Good man. Obviously only pointing out the spelling mistakes of those you disagree with. English is my 3rd language FYI. And I couldn’t care less about US politics.
200 euros for every household is not needed by everyone. But lowering tax/vat is.
Try buying a car now and forget about importing it. General vehicle emissions is going up as people keeping cars longer. The greens have failed. Vote them out.
@billy bound: you are simply getting a 200€ tax back.
Imagine to fight against inflation they are tossing tax payers money as always.
They can keep dancing around the issue but at some point they’re going to have to reduce the cost of fuel and postpone future carbon tax increases. It might not be palatable for the greens but they were all happy enough to jump into government together so they’ll have to figure it out among themselves. But something has to be done about the spiralling cost of fuel because it has knock on effects for the entire economy.
@Declan Doherty: €1.11 in the Canaries last week. Per litre
@Declan Doherty: something has to be done about the spiralling damage caused by burning fossil fuels because it has knock on effects for the entire world.
@Brendan Cahill: OMG… Did we wake you Eamon….
@Brendan Cahill: The Irish government temporarily knocking a few cents of a litre of fuel isn’t going to make a blind bit of difference to the global environment. Collectively we all have a role to play but even green countries like Sweden have recognised that citizens need temporary relief from these fuel price hikes. Your self flagellation on behalf of the greens is no doubt well meant but it’s driving the economy into the ground and making life impossible for ordinary working citizens who unlike Eamon, don’t have the benefits of cycling to work with a ministerial car carrying your bag beside you.
The “central plank” is Micheal Martin who has no idea of the hardship being felt by people out there. These idi-ots have no idea what it’s like to live in the real world trying to make ends meet. In a country with ever increasing costs but decreasing wage packets. They seriously need a short sharp dose of reality.
@Franny Ando: I said it on here a few years ago after I moved back from the states that the cost of living was very high. I was ridiculed by the government shills on here. To be able to pay your bills and save a bit each month, one has to be earning 70K+ in this country.
I found the cost of living in NY to be lower than here. A 2 bedroom apartment was €825 per month. Fuel for a 4.3L Jeep was $50 per week and my drive to work was 30 minutes each way over 5 days and a bit of driving at the weekends. Cable/Internet was €189 per month. Electric/Gas was included in the rent. Annual car test €100 per year. Car insurance about $80 per month. Phone $50 per month. Throw in food shopping, it all came to about $1400 – $1450 per month.
It would be interesting to see what all of that costs in € for a person living in Dublin or Galway for example.
@David Corrigan: it just might pay your rent.
@David Corrigan: I pay 81 a month for phone tv and broadband (189 in us is crazy), 15 a month mobile phone topup and my car insurance is 500 even for the year. 80 a month in the states for insurance is very expensive. An nct every 2 years is 55. I get about 900km on a tank of diesel which yesterday cost me 74 quid and will do me until mid March at this rate. My mortgage is 980 a month for a 3 bedroom semi-d bungalow that’s not in the middle of nowhere. Not sure the grass would have been greener for me in NY based on your numbers.
@TomTraubert: I should also add that I’m not earning 70k+ a month but am easily able to pay my bills raise a family and save a bit each month. I’m sure I’m not alone. And honestly, yeah I’ll take the 200quid for the electric bill but I’d have preferred others less fortunate got more and I got less.
@Franny Ando: wages are not decreasing, see
https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/earnings/earningsandlabourcosts/
@TomTraubert: nice bull..t Tom
A 4.8 liters per 100km. Are you driving an electric scooter?
@Stephen Kearon: yet over 30% of population have a household income less than €40k P/A. Rising to 62% on less than €60k.
Top heavy salaries like €402k seriously skew those average figures you and FFG like to hide behind.
@TomTraubert: Rent in Dublin is more expensive than one months living costs in my case in NY. Yes, some things are more expensive there but I was talking about the final balance per month.
@Stephen Kearon: I should have phrased it properly. Take home pay of middle income earners has shrunk dramatically. Due to the continuous extortionate taxing of this cohort by your party.
@John Johnes: grandland x check it out. Not that I should have to prove it. All true. 190 tax too.
@David Corrigan: yeah, fair enough.
According to P.P.Pascal on Newstalk earlier the USC was “Never a temporary tax” The 2 FFG glove puppets who host the morning show were reluctant to read out the scripted questions for P.P.Pascal to answer. Puppet 1 almost couldn’t bring herself to ask the scripted question about the temporary USC. Then puppet 2 backed up P.P.Pascals assertion that it was never temporary and is here to stay. These measures achieve nothing dor tye squeezed middle as we all new they wouldn’t. Its basically €200 for most. Won’t even cover inflation costs for a month.
@Christopher Byrne: He never said it was temporary but his party did. I remember it been introduced as temporary.
@Michael Dowling: They got elected in 2016 on the promise of abolishing USC. The electorate was fooled yet again and here we are, 6 years later, they’re still in government and we’re all worse off and still paying it. I really wish people would stop falling for their lies.
https://twitter.com/leovaradkar/status/688462286307086336?s=21
@Michael Dowling: Income Levy was the temporary one, when they rebranded it to USC they technically did get rid of the temporary one as you didn’t have Income Levy anymore. Smoke and mirrors of politics.
@Christopher Byrne: Mocking a person’s stammer? I think that invalidates your whole argument.
@Michael Dowling: https://mobile.twitter.com/JamesO1904/status/1491863804824727552/photo/1
@Sean O’Doherty: Not mocking anyone’s stammer Sean. Mocking his use of the FFG blubbering technique inherited from B.B.Bertie. Refer to Gift Grub for examples. You know, where the blubber on for 9 minutes answering a pointed question and you’re none the wiser afterwards?
@Christopher Byrne: Making fun of a speech impediment, stay classy Chris.
@Sean O’Doherty: Thats rather holier than thou and extremely ironic after your earlier comment.
@Pete Gilmartin: Refer to above Pete. Do you feel better know? Must be exhausting been outraged
“THE GOVERNMENT HAS said that introducing more targeted supports for the rising cost of living would have risked excluding people. ” Does that mean the government see this as a PR exercise and a vote-winner/retainer? Progressive taxation means that you target reliefs at the less well off, not that you apply reliefs equally across the board. That government statement doesn’t really make much sense.
@David A. Murray: They have excluded middle income earners again. If they think the measures introduced yesterday are vote winners then they seriously are out of touch with reality!!!
Changes to tax etc can only happen at the budget…..
Remember the emergency budget when you needed to take more money off us three months after the main budget ???
The government shouldn’t be paying €200 to every household for an electricity payment. This whole “cost of living handout” is cray cray! Just as many people that don’t need as do , I’d happily donate mine to double up for someone who’s struggling badly. We’ll be back to butter vouchers the way things are going. Look after the most vulnerable, USC cut or ideally abolish for the middle income earners and those who are lucky enough to own a house then a removal of the property tax for family home owners with one property. A few cent off a litre of petrol and diesel and everyone would feel a bit better waking up tomorrow.
@Ríain HenC: very simply done Riain, just donate 200 to your local charity when you get the payment. Well done, hopefully others will do the same.
@Sarah Lou: I have trust issues with Charity’s ! But an anonymous letter box drop direct to a household will do , and I won’t have to walk far either, plenty of people struggling badly.
@Ríain HenC: when you consider that the Paul Reid, Ryan Tubrity, Micheal Noonan’a etc are about to get the same government help ( maybe twice if the have holiday homes) , as working poor, pensioners, disabled, unemployed!!!!!!!
@Ríain HenC: Have to agree with you about charities. I had to walk away from working with a well known kids cancer charity because the “CEO” was treating the money like his own with a lifestyle to match. Cash never made it near the charity accounts and they were doing just enough “work” to stay under the radar. Charities are a massive con in this country. Too many people making an easy buck and no oversight whatsoever. I’ll never trust another charity again having seen one from the inside.
@Declan Doherty: I don’t trust them from the outside ! Thanks for confirming my suspicions.
@Ríain HenC: There is an element of noone can do anything right in your comments. The thing you have not appreciated at all is that while there are people visibly struggling and you are planning to kindly drop 200 euro into their letter box, there are also people who are silently struggling and that is most likely why the 200 euro pittance was rolled out to everyone not just those who are visibly struggling, many of who are already in receipt of assistance from the state. It is such a tiny amount of money it will not assist anyone long term realistically.
@Sarah Lou: Nope, I just don’t like governments and charities, even more so now thanks to Declan ! Everything else is sweet , GoFund me annoys me aswell actually :D
Abolish the USC. I can’t believe that none of the opposition parties have mentioned this.
Competition Authority needs to be doing A LOT more to investigate cartels in Ireland and to break them up where they are found that is what is keeping Insurance prices sky high. Unbelievable that the Insurance Group got off with a gentle telling off. The USA lock up individuals that break antitrust rules – Ireland issues a press release.
Sugar and bread again tonight, so I can stick on the heating in the one room,
@Ciaran O ‘Reilly: If you are genuinely eating sugar and bread so that you can afford to heat one room tonight I suggest that at some point today you reach out to both the community welfare officer for a discretionary payment and the St vincent de paul for some food.
@Ciaran O ‘Reilly: Sugar AND bread, luxury!
The measures are a scam. The government is taking in a extra 400 in VAT due to fuel prices increases and millions more in May with the carbon greens tax. The 200 million is only a fraction of this so will cost them nothing. USC has to go to make any difference. To answer Pascals question on where the mony generated from USC will come from, simple the government didn’t have this before the crash and with this over why do they need it now ?. They have plenty from increased VAT intake and other taxes e.g. property tax, carbon tax, etc.
Our usc deductions should have been the obvious choice to scrapp seen as they were supposedly temporary, would have benefitted workers who are feeling the pinch of rising everything.
Government obliged by Europe to have a tax on fuel of between 5% and 13%, as said by the taoiseach in the dail some weeks back. So its set at 13%. Reduce it to 5%. Move savings for the commuter both rural and city. (obvious green party objection there)
The disconnect between government and the regular people is astonishing, not surprising though. They really have no comprehension of the daily stresses of the working and middle class.
Went in to SuperValu yesterday to buy a few cans after work.
BIRRA MORETTI from 3€ to 3.50€
Dunphys from 21€ to 24 or 25€
“”"”Minimum price alcohol ONLY”"”" by the way.
we as a country owe 250 Billion, 50,000 a head. we are going to be screwed when interest rates rise which they will. We have had zero inflation in real terms for 10 + years so get used to the higher prices they are here to stay. We give half our taxation back in social welfare payments. Great country if you want to stay at home doing nothing. Rent paid etc. No wonder they want people back in the post office collecting the dole. Where do people think the Magic money tree is that is giving them 200 euro towards fuel bills- your taxes . Rest of the world does not give a hoot about global warming yet here in Ireland we put the Carbon hair shirt on and tax our energy to the point where we will not be competitive any more . Its the new religion here. France has the right idea, more nuclear power plants.
@Gregory Pym: you got a lot right. You left out the tax dodgers and the brown envelopes.
@Gregory Pym: You seem to have no problem with the Billions taken from the economy to repay for the gangsterism of the banks and the Billions yer to be repaid. You seem to have no problem with the vulture companies invited in by Noonan, who have added to the housing and rental market. You seem to have no problem with a crumbling Health service, Housing crisis, but like certain sections would rather attack the vulnerable in society. Typical FFG propaganda.
@Donal Desmond: exactly, I paid an awful lot of taxes working in construction till the government and the banks brought the whole house of cards crashing down but I’m obviously the lazy person who just wants handouts. I applied for dozens of jobs but at my age nobody wants me. But who does Gregory Pym think paid for the schools etc when he was growing up. Me and everyone else working and paying taxes
@Ian James Burgess: Well said. Only for people taking to the streets we would also be pay water charges. Enda Kenny once stated it is immoral to to impose a property tax…Yet his party brought in the austerity measures that affected the ordinary and most vulnerable people.
“Ah it woulda taken longer to have it targeted” is an unbelievably lazy and expensive reason to not do it. And also not the real reason. The real reason is most of their voters are wealthy and they wanna make sure anything they do involves them. Simple as that.
Kind of farcical that the day after this announcement BnM announce that waste charges are going up 24 euro per year.
There’s 1/8 of any gain on the electricity grant gone in less than 24 hours.
Giving money to pay bills is like printing more bank notes to ‘tackle’ inflation.
Why not lower tax/vat on fuel and gas/ heating oil etc.That would help everyone. The electric giveaway is great but not needed by everyone ,maybe those who dont need it could donate to VdeP or similar so the real needy benefit.Pandering to the Greens in this government is getting ridiculous now. Let’s see what size their vote is at next election.
Listened to Eamon Ryan on lunchtime news never heard such twaddle He was asked about the motorist who cannot avail of public transport especially in rural Ireland plus homeheating oil nothing to help them. his reply well they are getting the €200 of Electricity which will help them pay for fuel Is he for real If they bring in this new Carbon tax in May think people will take to the streets
Any chance the government could provide me with a commode, I haven’t a pot to piss in.
@Noel Donohue: the hse have loads of them.
Amazing. The opposition(to everything) are not pleased. They have sadly made themselves become irrelevant.
@Tom Molloy: you wish. Lol
@Tom Molloy: You must be doing well with the lads in power at the moment Tom.
Never mind anyone struggling,
As long as you are OK.
@Tom Molloy: The opposition have been very vocal on this and other issues, Ask Martin as he goes ape shit every time he is questioned. Suppose you would be happy if the opposition was F.F. who when last in that position kept Varadkar and FG in power with a confidence and supply agreement. Bit contradictory don’t you think.
@Donal Desmond: The “Cake” is a certain size no matter who’s in power. The knocker’s have yet to tell us how they will create a bigger cake. It’s suspicious that their economic policies are being kept secret. Complaining is such an easy way of virtue signalling.
@Tom Molloy: The opposition economic policy is costed and can be viewed on any website. It is the duty of the opposition to question and hold the government accountable, Unlike FF who when last in opposition Kent Varadkar and FG in power. Bit ironic don’t you think.
@Tom Molloy: or as Sinn Fein tell us, have those who avoid paying for the ingredients pay their proper share, then slice the cake a lot more evenly.
@Tom Molloy: or as Sinn Fein tell us, have those who avoid paying for the ingredients pay their proper share, this makes a bigger cake. then slice the cake a lot more evenly.
@M Bowe: Our progressive tax system does that. Smothering the few people that are creative and industrious enough to create the taxable economy is killing the goose that lays the eggs and the poor get poorer as we’ll as beating down those job creating people.
Nothing good to expect from the actual Government when you read that sort of things…
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/universal-social-charge-cannot-be-abolished-says-donohoe-1.4799556
—–
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said that the Universal Social Charge (USC) cannot be abolished.
On Newstalk’s Breakfast show, Mr Donohoe denied that the charge had been introduced as a temporary measure.
“I never said it was temporary. It was the integration of two levies. The USC will remain an important part of our tax system,” he said.
—–
https://www.independent.ie/business/budget/news/timeline-irelands-most-hated-tax-here-is-the-history-of-the-universal-social-charge-31605463.html
—–
Budget 2011
The Universal Social Charge is introduced by the late Finance Minister Brian Lenihan as a temporary measure at the height of the economic crisis.
—–
Where did those butter vouchers go?
We do things backwards in this country we should form a government with the opposition who know how to do everything, put them in quick before they forget
Do you seriously believe the FFG chancers know what to do?
@patrick malone: You mean like F.F. who when last in opposition kept Varadkar and FG in power with a confidence and supply agreement. As for memory loss you may recall Martin stated there was no Bank bailout. Of course you conveniently can’t remember that.
have your say