Category Archives: Irish Focus
All talk, no action: agri sector’s spin over substance
My article, which ran in the Irish Examiner in early February, is below IRISH agriculture faces enormous threats, both from direct climate change impacts and the urgent need to sharply reduce emissions, yet the sector has been remarkably slow to engage … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged agriculture, ICOS, Irish Examiner, Phil Hogan
6 Comments
Unmasking Ireland’s real ‘climate radicals’
Below, my article as it appeared earlier this month on the OpEd page of the Irish Times. I’ve been intrigued for many years at the way some people are automatically pigeon-holed as outliers and ‘radicals’ in certain debates. Nowhere is … Continue reading
Don’t give up on democracy just yet
Below, my article from the November edition of Village magazine, looking back on the historic proceedings of the Citizens’ Assembly: It’s been a bad couple of years for democracy. The Brexit fiasco was the most humiliating British retreat from Europe … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged Citizens Assembly, Denis Naughten
2 Comments
Not waving, drowning: Ten years of ThinkOrSwim
This evening, exactly ten years ago, I tentatively pressed the ‘Publish’ button on my brand new blog, and released the first ThinkOrSwim posting into the wild. Titled ‘Wind of change finally reaches Ireland?’ it foolishly opined that the new government was … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media
10 Comments
Pushing back against the tide of junk science
I published two articles over the summer in Village magazine on the subject of the new Irish climate denier group, the self-styled Irish Climate Science Forum (ICSF), founded by retired UCD meteorologist, Ray Bates. The first of these, in the … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics
Tagged ICSF, Press Ombudsman, Ray Bates, Richard Lindzen, Village Magazine, William Happer
2 Comments
The Citizens have spoken: no more excuses, climate action now
I spent all day Saturday November 5th in the Grand Hotel, Malahide, covering the penultimate session of the Citizens’ Assembly hearings on climate change. Having watched much of the previous weekend’s deliberations via live stream, I had the sense that … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
2 Comments
Eating the future, one bite at a time
Futurology is a favourite journalistic parlour game, usually reserved for a slow news week or the lifestyle section. When I saw the following bold opening statement in a recent Irish Times magazine cover story, “Half of the babies born today … Continue reading
When our leaders won’t lead, can Citizens’ Assembly step up?
Below, an article I ran in a well-known magazine earlier this month in the light of what we learned from the first weekend of the Citizens’ Assembly. I wasn’t able to attend the session in Malahide, but spent much of … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged Citizens Assembly, Joseph Curtin, Marie Donnelly, Met Eireann
7 Comments
Climate denial and the ‘white male effect’
In recent months I’ve found myself in a bit of a running battle with some of Ireland’s leading (I use the word advisedly) climate contrarians. It stems back to the inaugural meeting of the so-called Irish Climate Science Forum in … Continue reading
‘I have fed – and starved – species greater than you’
Back in the bleak 1980s, some 500 Irish river locations boasted pure, clean water. What of today’s modern, sustainable and super-green Ireland? Now, a mere 21 river locations remain of very high quality, according to the EPA’s newly published Water … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Habitat/Species, Irish Focus
Tagged Bord Bia, EPA, Origin Green, water quality
4 Comments
Right here, right now. Climate change impacts get real
Below, the original version of my article, which ran in the Irish Times last week, including some links: THE US National Weather Service is not noted for making alarmist pronouncements. So, when it earlier this week described Hurricane Harvey as “unprecedented … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus
Tagged Conor Murphy, Donegal, EPA, flooding, Harvey, IPCC, Kieran Hickey, OPW
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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
4 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
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