Analysis and opinion on environmental issues. Updated first of each month.
Latest from COMMENTARY
Joe Romm, “We Can Stop Searching For The Clean Energy Miracle. It’s Already Here.”
That’s a key reason almost everything you know about climate change solutions is probably outdated.
1 Jun 2016Guy Beaufoy, “CAP Greening Threatens Ecologically Precious Land”
The so-called “greening” of the CAP is a fundamentally flawed EU policy model, especially for semi-natural or High Nature Value pastures
1 May 2016European Environmental Bureau, “Smoke and mirrors as Commission issues Circular Economy Package with weaker waste targets”
The EU Commission withdrew waste targets in 2014 to deliver more ambitious targets, only to offer weaker targets in 2015
1 Apr 2016Guy Taylor, “Five reasons why the TTIP talks are looking a bit wobbly”
On the disturbing and well documented problems with TTIP and why the proponents of TTIP are worried
1 Mar 2016Joe Romm, “By 2030, Renewables Will Be The World’s Primary Power Source”
On the International Energy Agency projection that renewables account for half of additional global generation and will overtake coal around 2030 to become the largest power source
1 Feb 2016Samantha Page, “Bill Gates Plans To Invest $2 Billion In New Renewable Technology. That’s Not A Great Idea.”
Gates wants to invest in “new” technology when we already have scalable, workable technology for renewable energy that needs support
1 Jan 2016Sunita Narain, “Paris foretold and forewarned: what to expect from COP21”
A view of the Paris climate talks from India’s leading environmental writer
1 Dec 2015Samantha Page, “A Global Agreement On Climate Change Likely Won’t Include Carbon Pricing: But is carbon pricing ‘inevitable’?”
While Paris talks may not include carbon pricing, is it an idea whose time has come?
1 Nov 2015Joe Romm, How The US EPA And New York Times Are Getting Methane All Wrong
How reports about the global warming impact of methane compared to carbon dioxide are outdated and wrong.
1 Oct 2015Aoife O’Grady, Europe’s Coal Conundrum
Can a truly sustainable Europe be a coal-addicted one?
1 Sep 2015Ryan Koronowski, “This Is How The World’s Climate Changed Last Year”
The broken records inside the 2014 “State of the Climate” report from the AMA and NOAA
29 Jul 2015Transport & Environment, “Six facts about diesel the car industry would rather not tell you”
Why diesel vehicles cause more problems than they are worth
1 Jul 2015Aoife O’Grady, “Protecting Europe’s biodiversity: legislation, communication, valuation?”
On the failure of EU to protect biodiversity by 2020 and possible solutions – legislation, communication, valuation
1 Jun 2015European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Client Earth (CE), Justice and Environment (JE), “Open Letter to European Commission on Access to Justice”
On the need for EU Commission to take action to assure access to justice on environmental matters
1 May 2015Joe Romm, “Of Course Paris Climate Talks Won’t Keep Warming Below The Dangerous 2°C Limit”
Not likely going to get commitments in Paris for steady post-2030 cuts that ultimately lead to 2 degrees C. But not all is lost.
1 Apr 2015David Roberts, “More research” into geoengineering is not such a hot idea
Idea of ‘fixing’ the climate by hacking the Earth’s reflection of sunlight is wildly, utterly, howlingly barking mad
1 Mar 2015John Hilary, “The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP): A Charter for Deregulation, An Attack on Jobs, An End to Democracy”
On how the TTIP is attempting to remove regulatory ‘barriers’ which restrict the potential profits to be made by transnational corporations on both sides of the Atlantic
1 Feb 2015Dean Blackwood, “The turning of a blind eye to potential environmental damage to Lough Neagh Special Protection Area?”
On the failures of Northern Ireland planning and oversight enforcement for development activities on Lough Neagh
1 Jan 2015Aoife O’Grady, What does the EU’s new climate and energy package mean for Ireland?
On the EU 2030 climate and energy targets, or lack thereof, and impact on island of Ireland
30 Nov 2014Todd Gitlin, “Why you should be hopeful about the climate movement”
On the encouraging implications of the recent People’s Climate March for a climate movement
1 Nov 2014Liam Lysaght, Ireland’s Biodiversity: Up Front and Personal
On the author’s Wild Ireland Tour by bike to highlight island’s biodiversity
1 Oct 2014Mícheál Callaghan, “Community Energy: Leading the Way to Resilient, Post Carbon Communities”
On need to wean ourselves of fossil fuel energy and ‘transition’ to cleaner energy with more sustainable resources owned by the community
1 Sep 2014Fiona Neville, “Fracking as Trespass: The Bocardo Decision in the UK”
UK Supreme Court holds underground encroachment by gas extraction companies is an actionable trespass and the landowner is entitled to compensation for the intrusion onto his land
1 Aug 2014Aoife O’Grady, “Who owns Irish oil?”
A new report recommends Ireland take a greater share of gas and oil contracts, although ownership of the natural resources will remain with license holders.
1 Jul 2014