Category Archives: Global Warming
Calling the media to account for climate change coverage
Based on measurements for the first ten months of this year, 2010 is now reckoned to be tied with the scorching 1998 as the two hottest years globally since reliable record-keeping began in 1850. This of course is on top … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics, Sustainability
11 Comments
Restructure debt, and phase out compound interest thats what our environmental and financial crises tell us
Agree or disagree with him, Morgan Kelly’s analysis in the Irish Times last week is a must read. Closing Ireland’s €20 billion deficit by €6 billion in 2011 spending is all fine and well, but it won’t do enough to stave off … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Global Warming, Irish Focus
Tagged carbon dioxide emissions, climate change, debt, economic growth, GDP, restructuring
6 Comments
Out of his depth in Deepwater thinking…
According to a tweet from John Gormley in the last couple of hours, a climate change bill will finally make its way to the Cabinet next Tuesday (16th). Much credit here is due to Labour’s Liz McManus, rapporteur on the … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus
Tagged Conor Lenihan, deepwater horizon, Eamon Ryan, Oil, renewables
12 Comments
Yee haw! We’re gonna lynch us some Scientists!
Climate change denial is an article of faith for Tea Party candidates in today’s mid-term US elections, the New York Times reports. “Skepticism and outright denial of global warming are among the articles of faith of the Tea Party movement… … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sceptics
3 Comments
Of climate, slavery and tobacco
What, you might well ask, could climate change, slavery and tobacco possibly have in common? Quite a bit, it appears. The article below, courtesy of The Daily Climate, reports on a new study that compares current attitudes on climate change … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Sustainability
7 Comments
Crutzen’s tough medicine for a sick planet
Arguably one of the most significant figures of the last two centuries was in Dublin last night, where he presented a lecture in TCD, organised by the Royal Irish Academy. The man in question is Prof Paul Crutzen, the brilliant … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Habitat/Species
Tagged Anthropocene, CFCs, Crutzen, GHGs, ozone
12 Comments
Critical Time For Climate Law: Transformation or Decline?
“An Irishman’s heart”, according to Geroge Bernard Shaw, “is nothing but his imagination”. One interpretation of this wonderful double entendre is that as a people we are characterized by a creative approach to problem solving, artistic, ingenious, and flexible. This … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming
11 Comments
Energy constraints will collapse global economic recovery
We may rail against the regulators, politicians, and others who failed to understand and manage past risks, but we are just as culpable for our failure to engage with severe, well-signposted, imminent ones. Impassioned arguments over bank nationalisation, the austerity-stimulus … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Energy, Global Warming, Sustainability
Tagged Energy, ESRI, Feasta, Hirsch, Korowicz, Nama, Peak Oil
15 Comments
The economics of climate change: discounting the future, ignoring the poor?
Economists looking at climate change face a difficult task, with uncertain climate models, chaotic climate systems and possible catastrophic threshold effects. Often, when looking at the impacts of climate change different mitigation/adaptation options and emission scenarios will be looked at, … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Global Warming, Sceptics
Tagged climate, climate change, economics, environment, global warming
61 Comments
Science trumps journalism
Article below appears in the current edition of ‘Village’ magazine. It is a response of sorts to an unusually poor contribution in a previous edition by a journalism lecturer in an article purporting to offer critical insights into the interplay … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sustainability
16 Comments
Agriculture and Climate Change: Transformation or Decline
The Irish agricultural sector accounts for 40% of domestic sector emissions (those emissions not covered by the emissions trading scheme), or 27% of overall Irish greenhouse gas emissions. This is much higher than any other EU country, and among developed … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming
2 Comments
A new champion for climate justice
Below is the interview as published over two pages in the main section of yesterday’s Sunday Tribune: Mary Robinson doesn’t scare easily. In the course of more than four decades in public life, it’s easy to forget that she has … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sceptics, Sustainability
11 Comments
Two scientists, a journalist and a duck
In an episode of the acerbic TV series, Yes Minister, The Minister for Administrative Affairs has to respond to an awkward scientific finding (smoking causing lung cancer, or something similar). His cynical senior civil servant, Sir Humphrey has the perfect advice: … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sustainability
2 Comments
Here’s to you, Mrs Robinson
It has been a bruising couple of days for the image of politics in Ireland. Yesterday morning, of course, we had a tired-and-emotional performance on RTE radio by Taoiseach Brian Cowen. A few hours earlier, junior minister Conor Lenihan had … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media
71 Comments
Six degrees to annihilation
Below is a news feature as appears on page 14 of this weekend’s Sunday Tribune. Given that global emissions are and will continue to run at or perhaps beyond the IPCC’s ‘worst-case’ (A1F1) scenario, I felt it useful to try … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Habitat/Species, Irish Focus, Sustainability
42 Comments
