Yearly Archives: 2013
Time to sign up for the climate change war
Below, my article, as it appears in today’s Irish Times. There has been a pretty strong reaction thus far on Twitter (not that much uptake on Facebook) and quite a useful online discussion accompanying the piece on the Irish Times … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Economics, Global Warming, Psychology, Sceptics
Tagged Arctic 30, Brad Werner, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gus Speth, Lonnie Thompson, Pope Francis, World Bank
Leave a comment
Billionaire baddies bringing us to the brink
Below is my article, as it appears in the current edition of Village magazine. I’ve long been fascinated by denial and our seemingly limitless power to delude ourselves about unpleasant or unpalatable realities. This was brought home to me yet again … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Sceptics
1 Comment
The oceans: cradle and graveyard of life on Earth
My first newspaper environmental column appeared in mid-March 2008, headlined: ‘Out of our depth in tackling overfishing disaster’. In researching the piece, I was staggered to read a quote from a senior UNEP official to the effect that even if … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Habitat/Species, Sustainability
3 Comments
IPCC AR5 set to reiterate bleakest of messages
Below, my article as it appeared in yesterday’s Irish Times. I had a bit of a swipe at Fine Gael’s former Environment spokesman, Simon Coveney, having sat down recently to re-watch a clip I recorded for Climatechange.ie back in January … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Psychology
Leave a comment
Sensationalist ice-age story may betray covert media agenda
[This is a slightly extended and fully referenced (hyperlinked) version of an article which first appeared in Village Magazine on 14th August 2013.] GHOST: But that I am forbid To tell the secrets of my prison-house, I could a tale … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics
Tagged Climate Change Denial, Irish Times
1 Comment
Who’d want to live in a world without us? (hint: everything else)
World Population Day earlier this month threw up some portentous figures. Here’s one to conjure with: today, there are 1.8 billion people between the age of 10 and 24 – almost as many humans as were alive at the beginning … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Sustainability
Leave a comment
Obama turns up the heat on climate change denial, inaction
It has been a long time coming, but it was – just about – worth the wait. Last Tuesday, President Obama finally put climate change front and centre on his critical second term agenda. It was perhaps apposite that he … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Media
8 Comments
Science does not support rigid anti-nuclear stance
Below, my article, as it appeared in this Thursday’s Irish Times. To date, it has attracted over 180 comments on the site, with a strong pickup on both Facebook and Twitter. Having grown accustomed to having the online discussion of … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear
21 Comments
Ecological Ponzi scheme ignores natural capital
Below, my article, as it appears in today’s Irish Times: AT THE weekend, I took a load of junk from the garden shed up to the local recycling centre. Use of the Ballyogan facility costs €30 per car. Of course, … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Economics, Global Warming, Sustainability
1 Comment
World’s oceans drowning in plastic sludge
Below, my piece from the latest edition of ‘Village’ magazine. If you haven’t done so yet, dash out and buy it. Village is among the last vestiges of the non-corporatised media still standing in Ireland. It deserves, demands, our support. … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Sustainability
1 Comment
The Anthropocene – Age of the Sociopath
First off, this quite wonderful short animated piece by Steve Cutts. I showed it on a large screen by way of a little, ahem, light relief during a meeting earlier this week and it went down a storm, so here, … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Psychology
3 Comments
How climate change is destroying the Earth
A picture, they say, can be worth a thousand words. I was contacted recently by a group of volunteers who design and research material to help communicate climate change to the general public. They suggested the infographic below might be … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sustainability
4 Comments
The psychology of bracing for very bad news
Below is my second article from Village magazine’s special issue on climate change: Once upon a time the people wearing the sandwich boards proclaiming that ‘The End is Nigh’ were a reassuringly small, fringe group of individuals, many clearly suffering from … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Psychology
Leave a comment
The human race is almost run
Below, one of my articles from the current edition of ‘Village’ magazine…. ‘Insanity in individuals is something rare – but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule’ – Friedrich Nietzsche I like people; indeed, some of my best friends … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Psychology, Sustainability
7 Comments
Safe bet that this year will be one of the hottest yet
Below, my article from today’s Irish Times, where I took a slightly different tack and asked the ‘real experts’ on risk, i.e. the bookies, to give the odds on 2013 being yet another year for the record books. The results … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sceptics
Leave a comment
