Chris O'Connell

One of the benefits of working with @trocaire.bsky.social is meeting and learning from our incredibly committed and smart human rights partners. None more so than the Xinka Parliament, so it was a privilege to collaborate with them to write this important article for @business-humanrights.org.

It is my great honour to be here at the United Nations in Geneva representing @trocaire.bsky.social and supporting such couragenous human rights defenders as Udiel in advocating for a strong #BindingTreaty on #BusinessandHumanRights.

Ireland's intact, natural forest is incredibly small Much of what gets counted as "forest" is in fact monoculture plantations of sitka spruce – ecological wastelands Protecting and expanding Ireland's wild nature is essential

State of the Union: EU #deregulation waves intensifies, with focus on permitting, banking, national-level rules ➡️ VDL’s call for pact against ‘gold-plating' was embraced by 17 EU governments ➡️ CSOs & unions insist on right to stronger national-level protections corporateeurope.org/en/deregulat...

#OtD 15 Sep 2005 the Guardian revealed that Britain's largest arms manufacturer, BAE Systems, had secretly paid more than £1 million to former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. The firm used a front company registered in the British Virgin Islands stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8747...

Things I have seen in the rubble of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon this week… More here: www.instagram.com/p/DdE2v72DpZ...

1/2 Elections are taking place next week in Sweden, and the ruling right wing parties are trying to win support by turning people against Sámi communities in favour of rare earth metals mining - despite the Sámi being protected by numerous UN + EU charters. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

“The only way to minimise harm is to cut emissions now... not to delay action with speculative techno-fixes”. The UN's Environment Programme has said that a rise in global temperatures of 1.5C will be surpassed www.rte.ie/news/2026/09...

In yesterday's Irish Times, Trócaire CEO Seán Farrell wrote about how Ireland's EU Presidency is a unique opportunity to use our influence to place poverty, inequality & human rights at the centre of the development agenda, and counteract devastating global aid cuts. Read the full letter below ⬇️

Big Tech’s grand promises of jobs and economic growth from data centres fall apart under the lightest scrutiny, writes Jane Herbstritt ✍️ www.thenational.scot/politi...

Stripe CEO Patrick Collison and Mario Draghi have co-founded the Rhine Group, a think tank for European revival. Appointing a Silicon Valley tech CEO with close links to the Koch brothers to 'revive' Europe is a sure sign that Europe is in sharp decline. www.businesspost.ie/tech/europe-...

This should be an unforgettable summer - for the fires and high temperatures in southern Europe. And then there is this.

Air pollution stunts children’s lung growth. New Queen Mary research found that improvements in air quality after the introduction of London’s ULEZ are associated with accelerated lung growth in children. Read more: shorturl.at/Jx86o

Approving new oil and gas projects after the summer we've just had would be an outrageous act of national sabotage. It won't take a penny off bills. But it will accelerate the climate crisis already taking lives, destroying homes and pushing public services to the brink.

FT article adds to recent Triodos Bank study on heat economics Shows EU pursing wrong priorities. EU estimated to lose around 5% of GDP due to climate costs to 2030 EU deregulation agenda does not address this Especially Farright has no solutions to offer other than suck it up, leave rich alone

EU fuelling economic ‘doom loop’ by weakening climate rules during record heatwave, Dutch bank says

What we should grasp is that this is what Trump is *for*. It's why fossil fuel companies and the ultra-rich backed him. The kleptocracy, the cruelty, the culture wars, all these, while real & grim enough, distract us from seeing the true purpose of his presidency. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

If corporations knowingly contribute to dangerous climate harm, then surely there must be some legal mechanism to hold them accountable. Right?

At astonishing speed, our rights are being cancelled, worldwide. In the UK, the prosecution of Rajiv Menon KC is the latest example of blatant authoritarianism. Why? Because this is what billionaires and corporations demand. This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Why should Andy Burnham prioritise corporate justice? Read our letter sent to the new Prime Minister on his first day in office to see why new corporate accountability legislation is closely aligned with some of this Government's key priorties shorturl.at/HkbNX

“For generations we told ourselves a story about what kind of country we were: a small republic, shaped by anti-colonialism, instinctively suspicious of concentrated power. Yet, modern Ireland increasingly finds itself eager to host ... concentrations of power." www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/colu...

What do you do when you want less public engagement & more chats with corporations, but your own rules say you can’t? If you're the EU, you just change the rules! We've joined 59 orgs to reject #CorporateCapture & call on the European Commission to reconsider its Better Regulations plans.

We’ve less than 24 hours to take action & send a message to our government – no more fossil fuel infrastructure in Ireland! The Government is trying to fast track legislation to create a state-led Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility in Co. Clare. Take action now: www.trocaire.org/petitions/le...

Spain’s Sánchez speaks out against EU's deregulation crusade ➡️ https://l.euronews.com/J2JE

🫨 The world’s largest banks provided $906bn in finance to the fossil fuel industry last year. 🫨 📈 This is up nearly 8% since 2024, and locks in dependence on coal, oil and gas production for years to come. More here: lnkd.in/eeixEjbW 1/5

“This report was essentially a cost-benefit analysis without looking at the costs. Minister Burke’s own terms of reference made it clear that the government only wanted to hear one side of the story." sinnfein.ie/news/governm...

One year after her arrest by the Salvadoran regime, Ruth López’s family, international organizations, and groups in exile call for her release and for information on her health. #ElFaroAudio 🎙️ beta.elfaro.net/en/elfaro-au...

The letter was published in the Irish Times: www.irishtimes.com/opinion/lett... The text and full list of signatories was posted here: ichrgalway.org/2025/05/23/o...

Big Tech lobbying is driving weaker permitting rules + faster approvals for data centres in Ireland and the EU. In Ireland, data centres pay less for electricity than households (set to get worse), while new gas power plants are being built to power these “AI factories”. #Permission2Pollute

"Violence is like a shadow that follows mining around the world” - Trócaire Policy Advisor @chris-oconnell.bsky.social appeared before a public inquiry into gold mining in the Sperrins Mountains to give evidence on the negative impacts of mining. Read more 👇 www.thedetail.tv/articles/min...

www.irishtimes.com/opinion/lett...

While the #IMF pushes #Argentina to exploit oil & gas in #VacaMuerta to pay off its #debt, indigenous communities in Patagonia face environmental and social crises. For Aylén, this tunnel vision from Buenos Aires is part of the #RealCostOfDebt. Hear more 👉www.eurodad.org/debt_story_d...

Trócaire's Chris O'Connell - 'Energy Charter Treaty has been proven time and again to be a huge obstacle to climate action. Equally positive with Ireland’s ECT exit is Ireland’s commitment to co-hosting the 2nd international conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels in 2027 with Tuvalu.'

🏆Congrats to Iceland, Moldova, Romania, Sweden, Bulgaria & Ireland for exiting (or set to exit) the notorious Energy Charter Treaty. Next steps: ➡️Remaining ECT countries - follow the example! ➡️Commit to exclude all forms of ISDS from future investment treaties ➡️Cancel existing treaties with ISDS

👏to @rteradio1.bsky.social #ThisWeek feature on #TheCrazyArbitrationBill intended to allow ratification of #ISDS style #InvestorDispute clauses in #Trade deals like #CETA Even if the bill gets around the #Constitution Corporates can still enforce huge 💵claims against us outside of Ireland To Gov:

What sort of a world do u want? It's bad enough to 👀 the deregulatory agenda & #HumanRights ignored without Ireland looking to ratify #Trade deals with deeply controversial #ISDS style clauses putting Corporate interests in the driving seat over #PublicInterest #Climate Say #NoToTheArbitrationBill

Today is #internationalWorkersDay - but also the day the 🇪🇺 Commission chose to provisionally apply #EUMercosur deal. The deal is not only climate-wrecking but our new economic study also shows a disastrous impact on workers, shifting huge amounts away from wages to companies’ profits.

Call to Action: I know we are all overwhelmed by all the awful stuff happening but there's a real opportunity to stop Ireland doing something crazy and very bad, which risks: 💵massive bills for u as taxpayers 😵‍💫compromising progressive policy & legislation on your #health #environment #climate 👇🧵

Chris O’Connell, Policy Advisor, said: 'ISDS is a predatory system that allows big companies to bully states and prevent a Just Transtion. At a time when other countries are moving away from ISDS, why is the Irish government putting the interests of investors ahead of citizens and the planet?' 1/4

The number of United States troops travelling through Ireland has increased by almost 80 per cent before and during US attacks on Iran, figures obtained by The Irish Times show. www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

An unknown, but very legal tool is blocking climate action and the fossil fuel phase out: 👉 Investor State Dispute Settlement, or ISDS. ISDS allows foreign investors - like big polluters - to sue states when public policies affect their investments and profits. (1/3)

Investor courts are the main train to object to Mercosur or CETA. They are not intended to help people or nations at all. It's peak capitalism. Where all the rights are with corporations and the public good doesn't count at all. @greenparty.ie TD Patrick Costolloe took a supreme court against them.