Tag Archives: aviation

Rationing our way to a rational aviation policy

To see the enthusiasm with which politicians have been co-opted to help Dublin Airport Authority to overturn the planning permissions that govern its operation in order to facilitate ever more flying is indicative of just how much of a vote-getter … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Pollution, Sustainability | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Airline industry’s sky-high emissions crash climate targets

All the clever plans the aviation industry is developing to reduce emissions have one thing in common: the one sure-fire way to truly reduce emissions, ie. by flying less, is absolutely off the table. Just like in so many other … Continue reading

Posted in Energy | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Feeding aircraft while people go hungry

As the squeeze on heavy users of fossil fuels to be seen to be cleaning up their act intensifies, there is now a flurry of activity especially from the aviation sector behind promoting “renewable” fuels such as biofuels and synthetic … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

On the brink of history, at the edge of the abyss

News tonight from Paris is surprisingly good. The latest Draft text catches up with scientific reality in emphasising that the mythical +2C global average temperature rise is not some political bargaining chip; rather, it is the place no sane climate … Continue reading

Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Sobering Questions from the Island Mountain

Most media attention on the eruption of the volcano under Eyjafjallajökull (or the island-mountain glacier in Icelandic) has understandably focused on how its ash plume plays havoc with modern air transport. The deeper lessons, including evidence of yet another extinct … Continue reading

Posted in Global Warming | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Eco nuts/clowns deliver a message to Michael

In July I wrote what I thought was a fairly measured article about the environmental impacts of our culture of low-cost flying. The main focus of the piece was on comments made by Aer Lingus boss, Dermot Mannion decrying EU … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Taking the Mick on aviation and climate change

A week ago my column in the Irish Times dared to suggest that maybe, just maybe, dirt cheap aviation á la the Ryanair model (now aped by our former national carrier as well) is perhaps not the world’s best idea … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

On a wing and a prayer

Airlines are forever telling us that aviation is just a teeny weeny contributor to greenhouse gases, nothing to be bothered about really. The figure of 2% of total emissions being attributable to flying is frequently quoted in defence of our … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments