Government ignoring threat of climate change

national | environment | news report

Thursday February 16, 2006 20:28

by Friends of the Earth

info at foe dot ie

9 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2

01-6394652

On the first anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol coming into force Friends of the Earth has criticised the government for inaction in the face of the growing threat of climate change.

"The year since the Kyoto Protocol came into effect has seen no progress in Ireland on tackling climate change. The increase in Ireland's greenhouse gas pollution is running at twice the level allowed under Kyoto while government plans are running on empty", said Friends of the Earth Director, Oisin Coghlan.

Friends of the Earth is asking people to email Minister Roche at http://www.climatepledge.ie as Ireland is currently participating in the preparation of the EU's negotiating position for the next round of emissions cuts.

The Government's own consultants are predicting that without new policies Ireland's carbon emissions will continue to rise in the years ahead. Yet a review of the existing climate strategy begun in 2002 has yet to produce so much as a consultation document.

"Having gutted the existing climate strategy by abandoning the carbon tax and reversing the decision to switch Moneypoint away from coal, the government has failed to put any new policies in place. All we saw in the last year was the opening of two new peat-fired power stations. Peat is the most climate-changing of all fossil fuels", Mr Coghlan continued.

Progress on renewbale energy is paltry. This government's own green paper on sustainable energy promised that 12% of electricity needs would be meet from renewable sources by 2005. In fact figures recently published by Sustainable Energy Ireland show that we had only reached 5.2% by 2004.

"Climate and energy are going to dominate the agenda in the years ahead in the way unemployment and emigration did in years gone by. We can't simply cross our fingers and hope this problem will go away or that the EU will make us do the right thing we in end. A last minute fix to the looming climate and energy crisis is simply not possible. We must plan and act now. We tackled our economic underdevelopment with an innovative mixture of social partnership, investment in education and government incentives to promote new business. Now we need a new policy shift and the same social and political commitment to deal with the threat posed by climate change and oil peak," said Mr Coghlan.

There are some signs of a political awakening. 77 TDs from across all the political parties have now signed the Friends of the Earth Climate Pledge which commits them to doing all they can to ensuring Ireland does its fair share to tackle climate change. Signatories include Sean Haughey, chair of the Oireachtas Enviornment Committee and 10 other Fianna Fail TDs, 3 PD backbenchers and the envionment spokespeople of all the opposition parties.

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Comments (8 of 8)

I'll stick with Orwell.

by ReSect Watch

Fri Feb 17, 2006 16:36

I don't agree with you on selfishness. Anyway I think you are mixing up self interest with selfishness. Marx believed that selfishness being inherrent was something promoted by capitalists. I'm inclined to agree with him and Orwell's observations on the issue.

“There is no reason for thinking that the greed for mere wealth is a permanent human characteristic…after all, if human nature never changes, why is it that we not only don’t practice cannibalism any longer, but don’t even want to?”

On the nature of the human self & philosopher kings

by Michael R.

Fri Feb 17, 2006 15:49

I dont even "know" if the phone in front of me is acutally there so I certainly do not purport such knowledge about human nature!! But despite the absence of knowledge, I do hold strong "opinions" on it.

By the same token do you purport to know what human nature is?

On the specifics of "selfishness":-

If you come from the scientific approach then you have to look at things like our evolution and natural selection. All point to selfishness in order to survive and pro-create. Certainly the animal kingdom which science claims we have come from it the epitomy of selfishness.

If you come from a religous approach - specifically taking Chrisitian beliefs - the whole of the Christian life is aimed at the "giving up of self". Most christian teachings are hard to follow. The giving up of self being no exception. Thus pointing once again to the selfish nature of man/himself that a Christian tries to battle against.

From an empirical point of view, just simply life observations also seem to point towards selfishness. And selfishness it the bedstone of capitalism which certainly seems to have thrived. Im sure all politicans are accutely aware of people selfishness and in general will adapt their policies to what the "majority" of the "voting" public want. A big part of our job is the protection of the minority and the not voting public.

Which brings me back to my orginal point - that unless people want environmental protection enough, politicians will not adapt their policies accordingly.

Regarding Plato:-

Yes, as I said originally he believed philosophers should be kings - i.e. governers or members of government. And Marx believed the point of philosophy was to change things. So I think they are basically both same the thing. And would you go along with what they are saying??

"Our job is to change it"

Fri Feb 17, 2006 15:00

"Do you not think humans are naturally selfish?"

Absolutely not. So you purport to know what human nature is?
Plato also believed that the state should be governed by philosophers which of course brings me around neatly to my original point.

Re: "hmmmmmm" - Money/Greed vs. The Environment - Who will win?

Fri Feb 17, 2006 14:27

I thought Morrisson was the philosopher king, or was that just the lizard king : )

Sorry I must be missing something here??? No I did not realize Gates is the philosopher king. Please explain?

Yes the photo’s are powerful now. But will they be powerful enough? Man’s greed for money (whether they be rich or poor) will be an extremely tough adversary.

Re: "ReSect Watch" - Plato/Marx/Us Justice

Fri Feb 17, 2006 14:21

Re: ReSect Watch

Do you not think humans are naturally selfish?

Im a supporter of People Before Profit and have commented on them on this newswire. Don’t know if I am definitely the Michael you are talking about - that’s what the “R” is there for!

What do you find wrong with my analysis viz a viz my support of People before Profit?

Yes I am aware of the views of Marx that you refer to below. He and Plato had a lot of similar thoughts. The big one that comes to mind, and the one that we are all fighting for today, is – Justice.

Regards.

Michael R

Fri Feb 17, 2006 11:48

"And as humans are nauturally selfish this is a big problem."

Are you the same Michael involved in People Before Profit? I hope not with an analyse like above. There was another man who once said something about philosophers and about interpreting the world. Ask Kieran and Richard about him. That's if they haven't forgotten about him.

I'm very wary of "philosopher kings"

by hmmmmmm

Fri Feb 17, 2006 11:44

they have a tendency to have spent 7 years as wall street CEO's, have perfect teeth, employ a range of researchers and bots, publish books on their vision, and spend most of their days hanging out on either CNN or Fox talking to Bono.
= Have you not realised Bill Gates is the "philosopher king"?
& nothing is going right is it?

But at least the Irish newspaper reader this morning can learn "the boffins got it wrong" and all over the world newspapers publish the first photographs of greenland's mountains without their ice. They really ought be powerful images, those mountains have been shrouded since pre-history when of course they were "green".

Things will not go well in this world until philosophers are kings

Fri Feb 17, 2006 11:18

I sure will email the minister.

But the issue highlights the problem with parlimentary democracy as it currently stands. Reliastically, in its current state, I do not foresee an major changes by the government of this country or of pretty much any country. As industrialization increases, money increases, houses increase, cars increase, population increases etc.etc. I do not but see Irish & World emission levels going up and up.

Under the current setup of parlimentary democracy it will only change when it becomes a big issue with the electorate. It is hard to see it becoming this big issue because it will not really affect people too much in their life time. And as humans are nauturally selfish this is a big problem. EDUCATION or a change in the parlimentary process may be the only hope. But I dont know if even education will be good enough. As a famous Greek philosopher once quoted many moons ago "things willl not go well in this world until Philosophers are Kings or Kings, Philosophers"

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Government ignoring threat of climate change

Comments (8 of 8)