Archive for the ‘Ireland’ Category

Ryanair yesterday announced it would become the first airline to highlight the cost of compliance with the EU’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) by introducing a €0.25 per passenger levy on all bookings made from next Tuesday.

The company predicted purchasing EU carbon allowances to cover its greenhouse gas emissions will cost between €15m and €20m this year and as a result argues that the new levy is necessary to cover the cost of what it describes as “the EU’s new eco-looney tax”. Read the rest of this entry »

CDP hails increase

According to new figures from Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). an increasing number of Irish companies are disclosing their emissions, although the trend is not reflected among the country’s largest corporations,

The NGO’s latest report covers 33 Irish businesses, more than double the response rate in 2009. But just under half of the 40 largest countries listed on the Irish Stock Exchange (ISEQ) chose to disclose their data, slightly down on last year’s figure and well below the level of disclosure from FTSE 350 and Global 500 firms. Read the rest of this entry »

As doctors warn of rising climate impacts new research predicts sea levels will rise 75cm by 2100

More than 100 medical and military professionals, including Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of council at the British Medical Association and Lord Michael Jay, chairman of medical relief charity Merlin, yesterday backed a statement declaring climate change the greatest current threat to public health.

They urge policy makers to take concrete steps to tackle climate change, warning that failure to do so poses an immediate, grave and escalating threat to the health and security of billions of people around the globe. Read the rest of this entry »

A group of taxonomists has made a 2011 top-10 list of new animal and plant species discovered last year

Taking a cue from Letterman, a committee of taxonomists has issued a 2011 top-10 list of coolest new species discovered last year. They include … a leech with huge teeth, an iron-oxide-eating bacterium on the wreck of RMS Titanic, a flat-as-a-pancake batfish, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, a high-jumping cockroach, a six-and-a half foot long fruit-eating lizard, a cricket that only pollinates a rare orchid species, underwater mushrooms, a spider that builds enormous webs, and a new duiker (antelope-like animal) species first discovered at a bushmeat market in West Africa. Read the rest of this entry »

Cod, haddock and other fish traditionally eaten in the UK are on the decline, but warm-water fish are thriving, study claims

According to the first “ big picture” study of rising sea temperatures – global warming is leading to profound population changes in most common fish species in waters off the UK.

Around three-quarters of the species affected have grown in numbers, the government-funded study claims.
While cold-water species such as cod and haddock fare badly, those that can do well in warmer conditions, including hake, dab and red mullet, are thriving. Read the rest of this entry »

Ban Ki-moon says countries must abandon ‘negotiating gamesmanship’ at Durban Summit in November

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to re double efforts to reach a global emissions cutting deal at the forthcoming Durban climate summit. He warned that time is running out to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change.

Ban concluded his tour of the south Pacific with a speech at Sydney University today in which he said that the November talks must overcome the political deadlock over the future of the Kyoto Protocol which marred the previous climate summits at Copenhagen in 2009 and Cancun last year. Read the rest of this entry »

A 30 per cent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions north of the border outstrips English, Welsh and Northern Irish efforts

According to new statistics Scotland has slashed greenhouse gas emissions by almost a third since 1990 – surpassing all the other home nations

Figures published yesterday by the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory show that in 2009 Scotland had cut emissions by 30.5 per cent against 1990 levels, narrowly beating England, which delivered a 29.5 per cent cut in emissions, and also leading Wales and Northern Ireland, which cut emissions 23.3 per cent and 20.3 per cent, respectively. Read the rest of this entry »

Ministers and UN officials dismiss reports of poor preparation and departmental “turf wars”

After weeks of speculation amongst diplomats and green groups that preparations for Durban Climate Change Summit talks were not moving fast enough –and following accusations of a “turf war” between the two departments tasked with organising the crucial meeting – The UN and the South African government have both moved to alleviate concerns.

Speaking to reporters late last week, UN conference coordinator Salwa Dallalah told reporters in Durban that preparations for the COP 17 summit remained on schedule. “We are moving very well and we are on target,” she said. “We will finish our work soon.” Read the rest of this entry »