Category Archives: Biodiversity

The ecological point of no return draws ever closer

Posted on March 12, 2022 by John Gibbons

The first invasion of a sovereign European state since the second world war got underway on February 24th with the Russian assault into Ukraine. Just four days later, the IPCC Working Group 2 report, “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” … Continue reading →

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Big trouble as world’s tiny empires crumble

Posted on February 18, 2022 by John Gibbons

As recently as 30, even 20 years ago, when at night across Ireland, by the time you reached your destination, the front of your car would be caked in hundreds, even thousands, of dead insects. Commonly known as ‘bug splat’ … Continue reading →

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No national security without food security

Posted on November 10, 2021 by John Gibbons

We often hear about Ireland’s supposed role in “feeding the world”. The reality is altogether different. Despite the hype, domestic food insecurity is a very real concern in the difficult decades ahead. I explored this issue in detail in a … Continue reading →

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The heat is on: climate emergency deepens

Posted on July 2, 2021 by John Gibbons

After the savage heatwaves that swept the northern hemisphere in June and continuing into July, I was asked by TheJournal.ie to contribute a piece putting these ominous events into context. Here’s what I wrote: “WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE this historic event”. That’s … Continue reading →

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Do we care enough about nature to bother saving it?

Posted on May 15, 2021 by John Gibbons

This piece ran in the Business Post in early May, inspired at least in part by the devastating fires that swept many of Ireland’s uplands yet again this Spring, an annual ritual, it seems, that comes around with depressing regularity, … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Global Warming, Irish Focus | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Global food system hurts people, crushes nature

Posted on February 14, 2021 by John Gibbons

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 →

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Where greenwashing meet brainwashing

Posted on December 20, 2020 by John Gibbons

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

Green in name, but not in nature

Posted on October 12, 2020 by John Gibbons

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 →

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Eco-plenary indulgences won’t save our souls or environment

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Jeremy Hughes

The below is a guest post from an occasion ToS contributor and concerned citizen who uses the pseudonym ‘Jeremy Hughes’. He takes a wry look at the new trend towards establishing tiny pockets of biodiversity while the bigger picture is one of … Continue reading →

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‘Our relationship with nature is broken’

Posted on September 19, 2020 by John Gibbons

The below piece ran on TheJournal.ie in late September. It was inspired by a combination of the surreal imagery emanating from the western US and the release of the 2020 Living Planet Report, which chronicles ever sharpening declines in planetary vital … Continue reading →

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Overshooting ourselves in both feet

Posted on August 22, 2020 by John Gibbons

How much money have you got in your current account? What about your savings? Imagine if by now, you had already spent all your income for 2020, and you were forced to live on borrowings for the next four months. … Continue reading →

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Ecocide: the greatest crime against humanity and nature

Posted on July 13, 2020 by John Gibbons

It is extraordinary that ecocide is not formally recognised and codified as a crime under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. There are surely few greater crimes than the deliberate destruction of entire ecosystems, in many cases leading directly … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Habitat/Species, Sustainability | 1 Comment

Coronavirus an appetiser for what climate breakdown has in store

Posted on May 17, 2020 by John Gibbons

The piece below ran on Thejournal.ie in early May, and to my surprise, made quite an impact, with over 83,000 views, 142 online comments and thousands of tweets and reposts on social media. Thejournal.ie is now very much part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Habitat/Species, Pollution, Psychology, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

In climate emergency, BAU is the road to unmitigated ruin

Posted on May 6, 2020 by John Gibbons

In early May, my first post appeared on The Currency, a business-oriented subscriber-only website launched by journalists Tom Lyons and Ian Kehoe and specialising in in-depth reportage. It’s not where you might typically expect to find a fairly downbeat assessment … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Economics, Global Warming | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Approaching the Precipice

Posted on May 1, 2020 by John Gibbons

My review of ‘The Precipice’ by moral philosopher, Toby Ord appeared in The Irish Times on May 1st. It’s an intriguing exercise, with Ord estimating humanity at having a one-in-six chance of becoming extinct by the end of this century. … Continue reading →

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