Green Party promise on climate Bill

The “first and top priority” of the Green Party for their remaining weeks in government is pushing through a climate change bill, according to Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan.

Minister Ryan has promised that the climate change Bill would be published before the Greens left government buildings.

“This is probably our first and top priority. It is the priority because it will effect future generations,” Minister Ryan said.

He was speaking at the Earth Talks event last Thursday evening, November 25, in the Science Gallery in Trinity College. Minister Ryan made the commitment on a climate change Bill when questioned from the floor by Friends of the Earth's Molly Walsh.

The Minister said that the Greens aspired to get a climate change law onto the statute books because “we hope to leave it as our legacy.”

He added that he was confident that Fianna Fáil backbenchers would support the Bill.

Chairman of the event, RTÉ broadcaster John Bowman, pressed Minister Ryan on the issue of asking the Opposition parties to support the Bill in a “free vote” in the Dáil. The Opposition traditionally vote against all government proposals.

But the Minister said he was satisfied that the party whip could keep Fianna Fáil backbenchers in check.

“It is always a free vote in the Dáil,” he said – which got a big laugh from the audience.

“I suspect we will get it through,” he added.

Minister Ryan concluded his contribution to the debate – which was about the media’s attitude to environmentalism – by saying that writer John Moriarty was his hero because he communicated the “Irish mystic connection about how the earth talks and we need to listen.”

Endangered ringtones

Forget about crazy frog, kids, all the cool people are downloading the Puerto Rican crested toad, if the Irish Environmental Network (IEN) is to be believed.

IEN has drawn its bulletin readers' attention to a website that provides "rare and endangered animals calls for mobile phones."

"Putting these unique cries, howls, and warbles on your phone for the world to hear is one great way to spread the word about endangered species from the rockhopper penguin to the Puerto Rico rock frog — and to help remind others why they need our protection," IEN enthuses.

Why didn't someone think of this before? Has anyone told the UN? Is there provision for ringtone subsidies in the Nagoya agreement? When is the techno remix out?

Myxer: Privacy Policy | Terms - More from Center for Biological...

Myxer: Privacy Policy | Terms - More from Center for Biological...

Myxer: Privacy Policy | Terms - More from Center for Biological...

Podcast of November 12th

On this week's show.....

• We find out about Ireland's nitrogen levels
• Ever heard of Eco-Cement? Jack Cane investigates
• Why our peatlands need more protection
• Can Ireland afford Metro North?

And....

• This week's news stories with Valerie Flynn

Presented by Jack Cane and produced by Louise Finan

Doomsday Approaches

I’ve always been fascinated by doomsday predictions and have distinct memories of friends and I anxiously awaiting the predicted end of the world back in secondary school. It may have had less to do with being scared and more to do with wanting out of Maths class.

Now tonight we can find out if the world will end in 2012, and it doesn’t have anything to do with IMF and Ireland.

Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Oxford University Astrophysics will give the Royal Irish Academy Astronomy Lecture for Science Week 2010. In this talk Professor Bell Burnell will discuss such topics as:

What's all this about the end of the world in 2012? Just what is meant to happen, and how likely is it to happen? This talk examines the threats from space and explains how much truth there is in the suggestions that killer asteroids, lethal solar flares or the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way (for example) could cause the end of the Earth.

The talk is taking place this evening at 7 in the Burke Theatre, Trinity College. Admission is free and to book your place go here.

Ireland at 'low risk' from climate change

Ireland has been ranked the fourth least at-risk in the world when it comes to suffering the effects of climate change.

Norway, Finland and Iceland are the safest countries, in that order, according to a new study by British risk analysis firm Maplecroft. Ireland is one of only 11 countries globally ranked as "low-risk." Bangladesh, India, Madagascar, Nepal and Mozambique are at the most risk, in that order, according to the study.

Maplecroft's environmental analyst, Dr Anna Moss, suggests that extreme weather events like this year's floods in Pakistan are the result of climate change.

“There is growing evidence climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of climatic events,” she said.

“Very minor changes to temperature can have major impacts on the human environment, including changes to water availability and crop productivity, the loss of land due to sea level rise and the spread of disease.”

The data is mapped here. The study measured:

1. how vulnerable the country is right now to climate-related natural disasters.
2. human sensitivity in terms of, for example, dependence on agriculture.
3. how capable the country is of adapting to the effects of climate change.

Of the 25 countries ranked as being at "extreme risk", 12 are in Africa.

Feel smug on the Luas

Next time you're freezing your arse off on the Luas opposite a sleeping junkie dribbling all over himself (ah, the Red Line) - don't sit there wishing you owned a car. Just remember how much more eco-friendly it is to travel by tram.

To promote this feeling of moral superiority among the Luas-travelling public, the RPA has launched a Luas Carbon Calculator (pictured below).

When I get the Luas from Heuston to Tallaghtfornia, I save 5.5 times as much carbon compared to driving my imaginary car. It's a whole 2.68 kilograms of carbon saved.

As of 2006, Ireland's carbon emissions stood at 10.27 metric tons per capita (up from 4 metric tons in 1960). So one junkie-infested journey saves a little over 0.0002% of my probable carbon output this year. Well...every little helps.