Fracking could accelerate climate change, destroy communities and landscapes, and prevent creation of sustainable employment and that is before we look at the impacts of the technology itself.

The Environmental Pillar, a coalition of 26 national environmental groups, has added its weight to the growing push for a Site Value Tax in Ireland. A Site Value Tax is a tax on the unimproved value of land and so does not include the value of any buildings on the site. Instead it is a charge on the value of a site created by location and community investment in services such as roads, schools and jobs.

Greening the economy must be seen as a critical priority for Ireland and other EU States, a European working group on resource efficiency heard yesterday.

Today the Aarhus Convention entered into force in Ireland, signifying an important step forward for environmental democracy in this country. The Aarhus Convention upholds the right of every person to have access to information about the environment, the right to participate in decision-making, and the right of access to justice in environmental matters. It sets minimum standards in these areas, and by becoming a party to the Convention, Irish authorities are now legally bound to respect these standards.

The Environmental Pillar has just published its policy on shale gas, calling for cessation of all fracking activities in Ireland. "The known impacts of fracking are so serious that the Government needs to act now to put a stop to all fracking activity in Ireland" said Michael Ewing speaking on behalf of the coalition of 27 national environmental organisations."

The Environmental Pillar of social partnership has welcomed the "bold initiative" taken by Minister John Gormley to take the lead on the establishment of a Taskforce to strengthen the implementation of the Aarhus Convention.