Author Archives: John Gibbons
Taking the fight to the climate inactivists
One of the most enjoyable books on my 2021 reading list to date has been climatologist, Prof Michael Mann’s latest volume, ‘The New Climate War – The Fight To Take Back Our Planet’. I’ve long been a fan of his … Continue reading
From Climate Week to ‘climate weak’, RTÉ coverage falters
Here we go again, slagging off the national broadcaster. What about the independent broadcasters, why not go after them? Well, in short, we expect more, much more, from RTÉ as our public service broadcaster, heavily subsidised by the licence fee … Continue reading
Global food system hurts people, crushes nature
It’s hard to keep being shocked or even surprised at the litany of reports on the dire condition of our biosphere, but the recent Chatham House study on biodiversity is still an eye-opener. Politicians often claim their job is to … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Global Warming, Sustainability
Tagged agriculture, Biodiversity, Chatham House, food, Sunday Times
1 Comment
Could global warming trigger deadly new ozone crisis?
It’s an extraordinary privilege to inhabit the only known oasis of abundant complex life in the galaxy. We know from paleoclimatology that life on Earth has ebbed and flowed over the ages, including surviving five epic global mass extinction events. … Continue reading
When scientific facts and corporate fiction collide
The article below ran in the Business Post in late January. Just days after the inauguration of a new US president, it seemed like an opportune time to explain to a wider audience how the blitz of malignant lies aimed at … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Psychology, Sceptics
Tagged Business Post, climate denial, Climategate, Exxon Mobil, Michael Mann
1 Comment
Withdrawing the social licence of fossil fuels
The once all-powerful fossil fuel industry is, at last, on the ropes. Behemoths like Exxon Mobil are bracing for massive drop in demand for their products in the next decade and more, as the global transition to low-carbon energy, currently … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Psychology
Tagged climate denial, Exxon Mobil, fossil fuels, Tobacco
1 Comment
Where greenwashing meet brainwashing
The piece below appeared in mid-December on the investigative website, DeSmog UK. I wanted to shine a light on the subtle agri-industrial marketing machinery which is cranking out ever increasing quantities of material aimed at the youngest and most impressionable … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Global Warming, Irish Focus
4 Comments
Agri emissions plan a roadmap to nowhere
In the absence of action, the next best thing is to look busy, and Ireland’s agri-industrial sector and its many boosters in politics and the civil and public service have elevated this frenzy of inaction to something of a performance … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Agriculture, Economics, Global Warming, Habitat/Species, Irish Focus
Tagged AgClimatise, Dairy emissions, Teagasc
1 Comment
Epic Arctic meltdown portends radically altered future
I first wrote about the fate of the Arctic region in April 2008, in the wake of huge melt events in 2005 and September 2007. I returned to the topic in September 2012, a year in which an area of … Continue reading
Posted in Arctic, Global Warming
Tagged Arctic, Greenland, James Hansen, permafrost, Siberia
1 Comment
Biden throws floundering global climate action a lifeline
The article below appeared earlier this month in the Business Post. One crucial first step in tackling the climate crisis is for politicians to say ‘no’ to dirty money from the powerful fossil fuel lobby (who notoriously have spent freely … Continue reading
Stirring up tensions between farmers and environmentalists
This piece appears in the current edition of Village magazine. As a rule, I steer clear of articles focusing on individuals, preferring when possible to stick to the issues rather than personalities. Given the central role of RTÉ presenter Damien … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sceptics
Tagged Countrywide, Damien O'Reilly, IFA, IFJ, RTE
3 Comments
Close, but no cigar: Climate Bill comes up short
My report on expert reaction to the eagerly awaited Climate Bill was published for a British audience on DeSmog UK in mid-October. A DRAFT climate change bill designed to put Ireland on a path to net zero emissions has been … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged Andrew Jackson, Climate Bill, DeSmog UK, Diarmuid Torney, John Sweeney, Sadhbh O’Neill
1 Comment
Green in name, but not in nature
Despite huge ongoing investment of both political capital and marketing euros in selling the message that Irish agriculture is green, climate-friendly and sustainable, it still keeps on running into the knotty problem that this simply isn’t the case. Recent comments … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged agriculture, Bord Bia, EPA, Irish Wildlife Trust, Origin Green
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A race between climatic and political tipping points
Some weeks back, in the course of researching an article on ecological grief, I reached out to US author, David Wallace-Wells for comment, and this led to a wide-ranging discussion that ran to over 90 minutes. I had filed a … Continue reading
Under Trump, Republican war on science escalates
The below comment piece ran in the Business Post in mid-September, tallying the all-out war the Trump regime has waged not just on client science but on decades of cross-party consensus on basic environmental protection. US elections almost always feel … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Sustainability
Tagged Biden, Business Post, Coronavirus, Paris Agreement, racism, Trump
1 Comment
