Category Archives: Irish Focus
Hard cheese for environment as Big Ag juggernaut steamrolls NGOs
This piece ran on Desmog.com in mid-April. This site has, since 2006, sought “to clear the PR pollution that is clouding the science and solutions to climate change”. And in Ireland, nowhere is this pollution more pervasive than the smog … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Global Warming, Irish Focus
Tagged Aarhus Convention, An Taisce, dairy, emissions, Glanbia, IFA, methane
Leave a comment
Beyond denial and grief and towards solidarity on climate
This piece ran in the Business Post in late March as my take on the revised – and considerably improved – Climate Bill. Since it was written, it has become clear that the absolute maximum ambition the agri sector is … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media
Tagged Business Post, CCAC, Climate Bill, JOCCA, RTE
1 Comment
Climate hoofprint of ruminant agriculture under spotlight
The Farming Independent sought two contrasting views on the merits or otherwise of continued expansion of Ireland’s dairy herd, so I contributed the below, wearing my hat as a volunteer member of An Taisce’s climate committee. This article was published … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Agriculture, Irish Focus, Pollution
Tagged Dairy emissions, methane, Teagasc
Leave a comment
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
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
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
1 Comment
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
Leave a comment
Eco-plenary indulgences won’t save our souls or environment
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
Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability
Tagged Biodiversity, Wildlife
1 Comment
‘Our relationship with nature is broken’
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
Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Global Warming, Habitat/Species
Tagged Insectageddon, Living Planet Report
Leave a comment
Good grief: grappling with eco distress
The feature piece below appeared in this week’s Business Post Magazine, under the heading ‘Distress signals from Earth: the new condition of ‘eco-grief’. This is a subject that has long been close to my heart and no doubt for most … Continue reading
Posted in Global Warming, Irish Focus, Psychology, Sustainability
Tagged Ailise Bulfin, David Wallace-Wells, eco grief, eco-anxiety, John Sharry, Padraic Fogarty
2 Comments
Can the farmer and the environmentalist really be friends?
The piece below ran in the Farming Independent in early September. It started out life as a rebuttal of a recent piece by a Findo columnist and dairy farmer, which did a lot of indignant huffing and puffing about an An … Continue reading
Better late than never for Irish political action on climate
My take on the Programme for Government and why I think it represents a real opportunity to break the decade-plus logjam on meaningful climate action was published in late June on Thejournal.ie THE BATTLE FOR the hearts and votes of … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Arctic, Energy, Irish Focus
Tagged emissions, Extinction Rebellion, Green Party, Paris Agreement, politics
1 Comment
Ambitious climate programme agreed by Irish political parties
My analysis piece for DeSmog UK was published on June 17th, as the parties concluded negotiations on a new Programme for Government. Ironically, while receiving much positive coverage internationally in terms of the degree to which the PFG is seen … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Irish Focus
Tagged Catherine Martin, CCAC, DeSmog UK, Eamon Ryan, Green Party, Holly Cairns
Leave a comment
