Category Archives: Global Warming
More power to us if we choose nuclear option
Time to shake the ‘drill baby, drill’ debate on Ireland’s energy future up a little? here’s my piece in today’s Irish Times OPINION: Instead of seeking partners to exploit hoped-for offshore fossil fuel resources, Ireland should consider building some medium-sized … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear, Sustainability
Tagged Fintan O'Toole, Fukushima, Irish Times, nuclear, radiation
17 Comments
John Tyndall – Ireland’s Greatest Climate Scientist
Science in 1861 was very different to now, and entire fields of study and concepts that are now taken for granted – quantum physics, the theory of relativity, continental drift, the big bang, DNA, the uncertainty principle, black holes, an … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus
Tagged climate change, CO2, environment, global warming, History, Ireland
3 Comments
Survival of the fairest?
Greed, in the immortal words of Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street, is good. Or, as we were told over and over again in this country during the heady days of the Bubble, we just needed to free our … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Economics, Global Warming, Psychology, Sustainability
Tagged economics, hubris, inequality, New York Times, wealth
8 Comments
The decline and fall of the Human Empire
Below is my article, as it appears over four pages in the current edition of ‘Village’ magazine: Doomsday cults are as old as human civilisation. The Bible is a rich sourcebook for ‘End Times’ enthusiasts, who pore over Iron Age … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Economics, Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sustainability
Tagged Armageddon, CO2, Peak Oil, Village
13 Comments
In the world, at the limits to growth
By David Korowicz* We imagine this country is in crisis, yet crisis is relative. Most people in the world would envy our material austerity and be thankful for our endlessly ‘collapsing’ health service. But, with our expectations thwarted and in … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Energy, Global Warming, Sustainability
Tagged collapse, David Korowicz, Feasta, Peak Oil, Sustainability
4 Comments
Could climate change be linked to freak weather? Never!
By Bill McKibben* Caution: It is vitally important not to make connections. When you see pictures of rubble like this week’s shots from Joplin, Mo., you should not wonder: Is this somehow related to the tornado outbreak three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, … Continue reading
Tipping the Scales towards Sustainability
The Stockholm Memorandum – 3rd Nobel Laureate Symposium* on Global Sustainability, Stockholm, Sweden, 16-19 May 2011 I. Mind-shift for a Great Transformation The Earth system is complex. There are many aspects that we do not yet understand. However, we are … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Sustainability
5 Comments
2084: An Oral History of the Great Warming
“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future”, the famous Danish physicist Niels Bohr once quipped, only half in jest. Scientists, as we know, are a dry lot, preferring to leave the purple prose to the scribes while they pore … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Sceptics, Sustainability
21 Comments
Reflections on a Long Good Friday
“My God, my God, why hath thou forsaken me?” These are the words attributed to Christ on the cross, as recorded in two of the Gospels (Matthew and Mark). It is one of what are known as the ‘Seven Last … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sceptics
37 Comments
Fukushima a godsend for anti-nuclear bandwagon
I’ve been following the unfolding nuclear “crisis” in Japan with growing alarm. People who call themselves environmentalists have been jumping up and down with thinly disguised glee, pointing and waving and saying: “there, we warned you, nuclear is GONNA KILL … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear, Sustainability
Tagged Coal, earthquake, Energy, Fukushima, Japan, nuclear, radiation, tsunami
45 Comments
The Viscount, the architect and Phil Hogan
The shocking images from Japan since Friday are a frightening reminder of the fact that, for all our sophistication, even the most technologically advanced societies exist at the caprice of nature. Seeing large tracts of the north coast of Japan … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sceptics
Tagged Conor Skehan, Fine Gael, IBEC, IFA, Monckton, Neil Walker, Phil Hogan, sceptics, TCD
9 Comments
Fine Gael and climate change – what’s the story?
Fine Gael will almost certainly comprise all or most of the incoming government, therefore what they have to say about policy matters a hell of a lot more than FF, Sinn Fein or the Greens, none of whom are likely … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged climate, election, Fine Gael, policy
13 Comments
A Climate Bill Post-Mortem
Now that the Climate Change Response Bill 2010 has officially been consigned to the scrap heap, it is a good time to take stock of how the public debate around the Bill played out. As has already been discussed on … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged abatement, farming, IBEC, ICMSA, IEA, IFA, Oil, SEAI, Teagasc, Voiceireland.org
11 Comments
Smoke and mirrors in the attack on science
The BBC gets lots wrong. Its coverage of environmental and climate issues has wavered in the last year and more, in response not to new scientific evidence, but instead to growing pressure from the denialist lobby to turn climate science … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sceptics
18 Comments
Monckton – not forcibly detaining Aids victims for life a mistake
The right honourable Lord Christopher Monckton, Third Viscount of Brenchley, former advisor to Maggie Thatcher, current the deputy leader of the UK Independence Party and darling of the US Tea Pary climate denialist circuit has done us the great honour of dropping … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sceptics
1 Comment
