Find me at: @autofac@mastodon.energy #SoLongTwitter
Apr 9 • 15 tweets • 2 min read
Long time coming, but delighted to announce this paper published today with @swimsure and @AideenODoc: “Defining a 'Paris Test' of national contribution to global climate mitigation: the Irish exemplar” via @IOPenvironment 📷 1/ndoi.org/10.1088/1748-9…
Short version: Ireland’s Climate legislation of 2021 is world leading in binding us, in local law, to limiting our “forever” GHG emissions to be consistent with the Paris global temperature limit, on a “fair share” global basis. 2/n
Sep 15, 2023 • 19 tweets • 4 min read
This is an important decision. It will - rightly - be the subject of extensive, critical, commentary and analysis. That is good. I do fear some of that will be under-informed, knee-jerk and superficial. But here's a brief thread anyway...
The issue of energy supply security is a really important one, most recently brought into sharp relief by the (calculated) disruptions caused by Russia's entirely illegal and unjust invasion of Ukraine. But we are now in a more general era of geopolitical disruption anyway.
Jun 14, 2023 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
So, data centres are back in the news again ... doh! (short thread) rte.ie/radio/radio1/c…
First well done to @SadhbhO for rebutting serious deflections and misinformation in that clip. 👏👏
Jul 7, 2022 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
@HaroldKingston1 If by "no deception" you mean "no *intention* to deceive" then I am happy to accept your declaration on that. But intended or no, it has the effect of misleading.
@HaroldKingston1 Perhaps you can state whether you accept (just as a matter of arithmetic) that aggregate global food production can increase even while production of some specific food types declines?
Oct 22, 2021 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
#funfact about the IE 2021 Climate Act: once the Climate Council recommends its first GHG budgets (spanning 2021-2030), THEN the much cited "target" of "51% emissions reduction by 2030 vs 2019" specified in s. 6A(5) becomes moot - it has no further force or role...
... we flip from a situation where that 2030 "point-in-time" emissions target is supposed to determine the available GHG budget up to that point, to the REVERSE situation where the 2030 "point in time" emissions become determined by the budget instead!
Jun 8, 2021 • 14 tweets • 5 min read
THREAD 1/n: @merrionstreet@Dept_ECC: does the proposed new Irish climate action law actually, legally, COMMIT to stringent GHG emissions reduction over the period 2021-2030? (#spoileralert: “Probably not.”)
2/n: The IE Govt claims explicitly that “few, if any, countries have legislated for as steep an emissions reduction” as required by this bill: irishtimes.com/news/politics/…
Jun 3, 2021 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
[Short? thread 1/n] The new Irish Climate Action Bill is now in Select Committee stage. The full list of proposed amendments is here: data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/…
[2/n] Dedicated followers [?] will recall that I, together with Prof. John Sweeney and @AndrewLRJackson previously raised significant concerns about the way the "2021-2030 interim target" was being transposed into the Bill:
The revised draft of the new Climate Bill (now "signed off" by government) has landed! I know many long, hard, hours went into this: well done to all, but especially @EamonRyan. Announcement and text here: gov.ie/en/publication…
It's not perfect, no bill could satisfy all demands: but for myself, on first speed read, this version has moved a *long* way and deserves wide support!
Mar 22, 2021 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
Oisín list of things to look out for is a good one...
Albeit I have some slightly different perspectives...
Dec 21, 2020 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
@HannahEDaly@KOSullivanIT@IrishTimes Of course the "profile" of *measures* is different. That's exactly *why* we have to compare their relative effects - accurately! Effects on *temp rise*. If we don't compare *somehow* we have no basis for saying what is "cost-effective" between these sectors.
@HannahEDaly@KOSullivanIT@IrishTimes As for N2O: I don't understand at all. For N2O (as for CO2) GWP-100 and GWP* are identical, and there is no suggestion in the literature of any problem using this as a valid basis for "fungibility" of reductions between them - is there?
Nov 10, 2020 • 14 tweets • 4 min read
It's been a while in the pipeline, but delighted to share this news! Thanks to all the project team, and to the excellent EPA Steering Committee for their help and support.
Big shoutout to: Mike Jones (TCD), Paul Price aka @swimsure (DCU), Alwynne McGeever and Paul Rice who all made huge contributions to bringing this to completion. And to @EPAResearchNews for providing the essential funding support.
Sep 10, 2020 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
"Energy transition poses challenges and opportunities for energy security. Read latest @SEAI_ie blog by @dineenden and download recent Energy Security in Ireland report." seai.ie/blog/energy-se…
Some nuggets (a thread, 1/n)...
Feb 24, 2020 • 9 tweets • 9 min read
@365Ifarm@dcu_ecrn@swimsure We are still working on the seminar materials - but everything presented will certainly be made available afterward.
@365Ifarm@dcu_ecrn@swimsure The project we are reporting on was a small desk-study, reviewing international literature to support @EPAResearchNews scope a possible future larger scale study.
Jan 20, 2020 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
My take on "extreme" carbon cuts (short thread...): irishtimes.com/election2020/v…
Picture a bus travelling at high speed in a snow storm - low visibility, very uncertain emergency stopping distance...
Nov 19, 2019 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
"Minister Bruton Initiates Major Review into Ireland’s Energy Supply" dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/news-and…
Some key questions here about process and terms of reference...
Oct 25, 2019 • 9 tweets • 9 min read
Hey Irish EV/energy twitter: @ESBecars highlight price advantage of "night rate" home charging, but carefully neglect two important issues...
@ESBecars To access night rate one must have a night rate meter installed - which significantly increases the fixed standing charge - AND choose NightSaver plan which increases the unit rate for ALL "daytime" units. None of this appears to be reflected in their media info?
Oct 14, 2019 • 13 tweets • 2 min read
FWIW [short thread]: I appeared last week at the Oireachtas [Irish Parliament] Joint Committee on Climate Action to discuss the potential role of LNG importation in Ireland's energy system.
Full meeting video and transcript here: oireachtas.ie/en/debates/deb…
Sep 24, 2019 • 17 tweets • 5 min read
"Full" (all of two pages) advice from #CCAC to IE Government, endorsing continuing exploration for offshore natural gas: climatecouncil.ie/media/Climate%…
Extraordinarily weak "expert" contribution IMHO:
Jun 20, 2019 • 15 tweets • 4 min read
A couple of brief reflections on day 1 of #energyireland 2019 conference. For reference, the programme is here: energyireland.ie/programme-2019/
While @RichardbrutonTD was trenchant in his continuing opposition to the Climate Emergency Measures Bill, he did acknowledge two things explicitly (that I have not heard him say before):
Jul 13, 2018 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
I just emailed TDs who've said they'll back ending fossil fuel exploration in Ireland. Can you join me now? action.uplift.ie/campaigns/emai…
[1/n] My message: "Dear Members: I know you’re considering passing the Climate Emergency Bill. I want to thank you for standing up to end fossil fuel exploration in Ireland. I have listened to much of the Committee hearings on the Bill. The performance of the Committee ...
