Author Archives: Joseph Curtin

Debate on COP 16 in Cancún has been muted at best. The IIEA research and design teams have prepared a simple info-gram which illustartes the negotiation positions of the seven key actors, including their commitments, priorities and respective emissions as they enter … Continue reading

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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

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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

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Copenhagen & beyond: where now for the EU?

The EU was marginalized amid the realpolitik which dominated at Copenhagen. As a consequence the Copenhagen Accord neither conceptually nor substantively reflected the EU’s negotiating position. In a recent policy brief (available here) I argue that this failure must lead … Continue reading

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Copenhagen a new framework for climate chaos?

The original intention of Conference of Parties (COP) 15 in Copenhagen was to complete negotiations on a new international agreement on climate change to come into force before 2012. What emerged was a slim three page Copenhagen Accord with a … Continue reading

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Greens Flavor of the Day in Domestic Climate Policy

Amid the white noise surrounding last week’s budget, the government made a number of announcements with potentially profound and long-term implications for Irish climate policy. Much as the PD’s allegedly provided the sauce in the meaty Fianna Fail coalition sandwich, … Continue reading

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Leaks no Impact on Copenhagen Blueprint

The leaking of hacked emails from one of the most highly regarded climate research units was perfectly timed to coincide with the start of the Copenhagen COP. Without entering into the minute details of just what was or was not … Continue reading

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Planning for the 21st Century: More Than Permission to Build

Planning as a concept has become synonymous with “permission to build” in this country. As in: “I got ‘the planning’ for the apartments on the flood-plain at the outer-rim of the commuter belt”. The original meaning – taking a strategic … Continue reading

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Copenhagen: As MAD as it seems?

“We’re eyeball to eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked” – these were the words of Secretary of State Dean Rusk at the height of the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962. It may be abhorrent to some, … Continue reading

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