Environment

The Experiential Economy and the importance of the local, the authentic and the designed. By Kevin Leyden and Patrick Collins

If the ozone hole had been discovered ten years later, governments would have done nothing. By George Monbiot

By Tony Lowes. The environment is the enemy of jobs”.  That’s what my lad recently reported was the universal belief of all those in his Leaving Cert ‘Civic, Social and Political Education’ (CSPE) class in our west cork community school. To be honest, it’s what most people think in modern Ireland. To object to developments […]

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 […]

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 […]

By Cathal O’Meara. Landscapes that support extensive meat and dairy farming are dramatically damaging our rivers and contributing to flooding in our towns and cities. Globally livestock accounts for 70% of all our agricultural landscapes and contributes more greenhouse gasses (18%) than the entire transport sector (12%). However, our livestock-dominated landscapes are having their most […]