Later today, Environment Minister John Gormley will present Ireland’s first ever ‘carbon budget’ to the Dail. Whatever about its practical effect in the short term, this is a highly symbolic move.
Remember, a few short months ago, one Dick Roche held this ministry, and any hope of climate change and sustainability being at the heart of a FF-led government policy seemed too outlandish to be even worth talking about. Times have moved on. Continue reading
CO2, we’re told, is the knife at the throat of world climate. Methane has so far got much less press, mostly because there’s a lot less of it in the atmosphere. And just as well; methane is 23 times more potent in its greenhouse effect as the equivalent quantity of carbon, so even small quantities can mean big climate problems. Continue reading
When the Greens took the plunge and went into Coalition with Fianna Fail earlier this year, many eyebrows were raised. It looked like another cynical move by the the dominant party to stick on a green fig leaf to cover its embarrassing record of ten years of inaction and rising emissions. Continue reading
