Author Archives: John Gibbons
A little something for the weekend…
While smoking out climate change deniers can offer a little light relief, it’s important not to lose sight of what exactly is on the line here. For this, I am grateful to Joe Romm over at ThinkProgress for the following … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Sustainability
Tagged Arctic, Hadley Centre, IPCC, methane, MIT, permafrost
8 Comments
Climate scientist fillets Pat Kenny
Prof Richard Somerville of the University of California is one of the world’s top climate experts. A lead author for the IPCC’s AR4, he is research professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He is also a big fan of … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sceptics
Tagged EPA, Pat Kenny, Richard Somerville
27 Comments
The devil or the deep blue sea – our nuclear conundrum
Twenty five years ago, in the early hours of April 26, 1986 a botched safety test led to a massive explosion at one of the four nuclear reactors at Chernobyl in Belarus. This was the world’s most serious nuclear event … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear, Sustainability
Tagged cancer, Chernobyl, Fukushima, nuclear, radiation, thorium
9 Comments
When ‘functionally insane’ seems normal, time to worry
Every now and again I try to take a couple of hours out of life in La La Land (or was it Namaland?) to check in on the state of the real world. You know the one, it sustains all … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media
Tagged climate change, human rights, IIEA, justice, Mary Robinson
7 Comments
More power to us if we choose nuclear option
Time to shake the ‘drill baby, drill’ debate on Ireland’s energy future up a little? here’s my piece in today’s Irish Times OPINION: Instead of seeking partners to exploit hoped-for offshore fossil fuel resources, Ireland should consider building some medium-sized … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear, Sustainability
Tagged Fintan O'Toole, Fukushima, Irish Times, nuclear, radiation
17 Comments
Survival of the fairest?
Greed, in the immortal words of Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street, is good. Or, as we were told over and over again in this country during the heady days of the Bubble, we just needed to free our … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Economics, Global Warming, Psychology, Sustainability
Tagged economics, hubris, inequality, New York Times, wealth
8 Comments
The decline and fall of the Human Empire
Below is my article, as it appears over four pages in the current edition of ‘Village’ magazine: Doomsday cults are as old as human civilisation. The Bible is a rich sourcebook for ‘End Times’ enthusiasts, who pore over Iron Age … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Economics, Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sustainability
Tagged Armageddon, CO2, Peak Oil, Village
13 Comments
Could climate change be linked to freak weather? Never!
By Bill McKibben* Caution: It is vitally important not to make connections. When you see pictures of rubble like this week’s shots from Joplin, Mo., you should not wonder: Is this somehow related to the tornado outbreak three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, … Continue reading
Tipping the Scales towards Sustainability
The Stockholm Memorandum – 3rd Nobel Laureate Symposium* on Global Sustainability, Stockholm, Sweden, 16-19 May 2011 I. Mind-shift for a Great Transformation The Earth system is complex. There are many aspects that we do not yet understand. However, we are … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Sustainability
5 Comments
2084: An Oral History of the Great Warming
“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future”, the famous Danish physicist Niels Bohr once quipped, only half in jest. Scientists, as we know, are a dry lot, preferring to leave the purple prose to the scribes while they pore … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Sceptics, Sustainability
21 Comments
Reflections on a Long Good Friday
“My God, my God, why hath thou forsaken me?” These are the words attributed to Christ on the cross, as recorded in two of the Gospels (Matthew and Mark). It is one of what are known as the ‘Seven Last … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sceptics
37 Comments
Fukushima a godsend for anti-nuclear bandwagon
I’ve been following the unfolding nuclear “crisis” in Japan with growing alarm. People who call themselves environmentalists have been jumping up and down with thinly disguised glee, pointing and waving and saying: “there, we warned you, nuclear is GONNA KILL … Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear, Sustainability
Tagged Coal, earthquake, Energy, Fukushima, Japan, nuclear, radiation, tsunami
45 Comments
The Viscount, the architect and Phil Hogan
The shocking images from Japan since Friday are a frightening reminder of the fact that, for all our sophistication, even the most technologically advanced societies exist at the caprice of nature. Seeing large tracts of the north coast of Japan … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sceptics
Tagged Conor Skehan, Fine Gael, IBEC, IFA, Monckton, Neil Walker, Phil Hogan, sceptics, TCD
9 Comments
Fine Gael and climate change – what’s the story?
Fine Gael will almost certainly comprise all or most of the incoming government, therefore what they have to say about policy matters a hell of a lot more than FF, Sinn Fein or the Greens, none of whom are likely … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged climate, election, Fine Gael, policy
13 Comments
Smoke and mirrors in the attack on science
The BBC gets lots wrong. Its coverage of environmental and climate issues has wavered in the last year and more, in response not to new scientific evidence, but instead to growing pressure from the denialist lobby to turn climate science … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Media, Sceptics
18 Comments
