Ireland's political and cultural magazine
By Lorna Gold. It was the vision of Garret FitzGerald, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, which led to the establishment of an official Irish aid programme for Africa and the developing world 40 years ago, in the early years of our membership of the EEC. For a generation it generally increased – until this recession. […]
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By Sadhbh O’Neill. In 2009, signatories to the UNFCCC met to agree new legally binding greenhouse-gas emission targets. The outcome, known as the Copenhagen Accord, singularly failed to meet high expectations for a legally-binding agreement but the Accord did specify for the first time that the objective of the international community was to “hold the […]
By Anthony Coughlan. The growth in the number of States in the world is one of the most remarkable features of our time, though it is not often commented on. The United Nations had 51 Member States when it was established in 1945. It had 193 at the last count – a near fourfold increase […]
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By Kevin Leyden and Patrick Collins. Ireland appears to be slowly re-emerging from its recent economic troubles and many have offered new ideas about our future. For us, this will involve considering the importance of two interconnected phenomena: the experiential economy and place-making. Both are about quality of life. We argue that focusing on quality […]
By Michael Smith. Newly elected Syriza has told voters it will end the era of austerity in Greece (and beyond). It has pledged to stop what its 40-year-old leader, Alexis Tsipras, has called the “fiscal waterboarding” policies that have turned Greece into a debt colony. It is the first time in more than 40 years […]
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Asked if the limitations on chemical residues in farmed salmon set by our government and its agencies are adequate to protect health, Dr David Carpenter, Director, Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany in the US, wrote in a personal communication to the Boycott Farmed Salmon Campaign that, “In my judgment […]
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By Michael Smith. Climate change is the biggest issue of our age. It seems likely to leave a legacy for future generations that will mean our epoch will be remembered primarily for its stupidity and spendthrift environmental profligacy. It is generally accepted that to stabilise CO2 concentrations about 450ppm by 2050, which might avert runaway […]