Category Archives: Irish Focus
An outside view on Ireland’s ‘climate action’
Below, my article, as published last week on the Guardian – my first article on what is arguably the world’s foremost news media source for environment and climate news and opinion. Having been banging on about these issues domestically for … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sustainability
Tagged Denis Naughten, emissions, Food Wise 2025, Guardian
2 Comments
In deep water: Naughten approves major offshore oil drilling plan
Below, my story, as it appeared a few days ago on DeSmogUK: IRELAND’S first minister for Climate Action, Denis Naughten, quietly signed off this month on the Druid/Drombeg exploration field off Ireland’s west coast which is eyeing an estimated five billion … Continue reading
Irish Farmers Journal: fearlessly on the side of fake news
Back in the 1970s, there was striking advertising poster in Kilkenny Mart featuring a powerfully built bull with a ring through its nose. The unsubtle slogan: ‘No bull in the Irish Farmers Journal’. The old Kilkenny Mart building is long … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics
Tagged ICSF, Irish Farmers Journal, Junk science, Matt Dempsey, Ray Bates
11 Comments
Doubling down on climate denial: ICSF hosts Happer
Below, my latest article on Desmog.uk, covering the recent ultra low-key visit of well known climate contrarian, William Happer to Dublin. Publication was delayed by around a week as Desmog turned its editorial focus to the UK elections – including … Continue reading
Posted in Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics
Tagged Gerald Fleming, ICSF, Met Eireann, methane, Ray Bates, William Happer
1 Comment
Ulster says hoax: a short history of the DUP and climate denial
Below, my article as it appeared on DeSmog.uk over the weekend, in the light of the extraordinary decision by the Tories to throw in their lot with Ulster’s not-particularly-Democratic Unionist Party. ============================ Theresa May’s general election gamble has seen a … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sceptics
Tagged cash-for-ash, DUP, RHI, Sammy Wilson
2 Comments
From pipsqueaks to bullies: farm leadership, 50 years on
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Ireland’s National Farmers’ Association (NFA) was a political pariah, with then Taoiseach, Fianna Fail’s Jack Lynch threatening to have the organisation proscribed, a move that would have placed every farmer in the … Continue reading
The ICSF – Irish Contrarians Serving Farming?
When I first heard about the newly formed climate denier group, the self-styled Irish Climate Science Forum (ICSF), I tipped off my usual Dublin media outlets, but nobody was biting, so from there, I went to the London-based Desmog.uk, part … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics
Tagged agriculture, climate denial, ICSF, Matt Dempsey, Ray Bates, Richard Lindzen
6 Comments
Dad’s Army of climate deniers rallies in Dublin
My piece below, as published last Friday on the respected climate science website, Desmog.uk. As outlined below, I was tipped off about the meeting early last week, and wrote to the organiser, Jim O’Brien, who informed me I would not … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics
Tagged climate denial, ICSF, Ray Bates, Richard Lindzen
7 Comments
Nature is the silent victim of Nimbyism
Last November Sir David Attenborough’s Planet Earth 2 attracted 9.4 million viewers for one episode- two million more than watched the X-Factor that night. It was the most watched nature show in the UK for 15 years. No doubt, like … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Habitat/Species, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged Heritage Bill, Nimbyism, Wildlife
4 Comments
Lights out for Earth Hour? Save your energy
Dreamed up as a PR stunt by an ad agency 10 years ago, Earth Hour has become surprisingly succesful. This is, I suspect, because it’s long on tokenism and photo opportunities and desperately short on actual resolve, sacrifice or meaningful … Continue reading
Dublin airport censorship just doesn’t fly
There is a rich irony in the fact that an airline company sponsors the weather on RTÉ Radio One, with its ‘smart flies Aer Lingus’ tagline transmitted into a million homes, on the hour, every hour. After all, aviation is … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media
Tagged Advertising, An Taisce, censorship, Dublin Airport Authority
6 Comments
Time to push fossil fuel sponsorship beyond the Pale
Below, my article, as it appeared in the Irish Times earlier this month. Having had family members as past winners of the Texaco Children’s Art Competition made me leery about taking on writing about this long-running sponsorship, but then I … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media
Tagged divestment, greenwashing, Rex Tillerson, sponsorship, Texaco, Valero
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Toothless watchdog lets its Standards slip
{PROLOGUE} LOCATION: Bord Na Mona conference room* DATE: Early 2016. TOPIC: Ad planning meeting (*fictional) BnaM Marketing Exec: ‘I’ll cut to the chase. Here’s the challenge: we’re a company that, pound for pound, is the biggest polluter in Ireland. We’ve wrecked … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Habitat/Species, Irish Focus, Media, Sustainability
Tagged ASAI, Bord na Mona, Greenwash, peat
18 Comments
Nine years later, and deeper in debt
It’s nine years to the week since my first posting on ThinkorSwim went live – on the last day of November 2007. It was, in many ways, a different world. The mood was radically different too. For starters, the Greens … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged 2007, Arctic, Green Party, NASA, Trump
17 Comments
A new age of endarkenment draws ever closer
Like millions of people all over the world, I’ve spent the last almost two weeks in a state of shock and disbelief. I had sat up with friends late on the evening of Tuesday November 8th into the early hours … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Psychology, Sceptics
3 Comments
