Transition Town Maynooth: Irish Media Failing to Cover Major Climate Change ...

Transition Town Maynooth: Irish Media Failing to Cover Major Climate Change ...: http://t.co/g5wnSHnf

Bid to Create World's Largest Community Solar Farm

Article on how this scheme works and how it can be applied to other communities.

http://t.co/6tUJQ5UX

Irish Media Failing to Cover Major Climate Change Events

http://t.co/g5wnSHnf

The Maths We All Need To Learn

http://t.co/uN5kFufK

Greenland Melted at Alarming Rate in July

http://m.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/24/greenland-ice-sheet-thaw-nasa?cat=environment&type=article

The alternatives to our current currency systems

http://www.feasta.org/2012/07/23/the-lot-of-the-currency-designer/

The signs of climate changes effects are getting clearer

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/22/climate-science-gathering-storm-editorial?cat=commentisfree&type=article

My favourite Greenpeace parodies of Shell Ads

Record cereal prices stoke fears of global food crisis

Stark current examples of how climate change will raise food prices and why biofuels are not the answer to our energy problems.

http://m.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/19/record-cereal-prices-food-crisis?cat=environment&type=article

Replacing Failed Economics

Our economic system and approach is failing and is doomed to further failure in the future. We need some radical new thinking to come up with real alternatives. These positive alternatives will be discussed on Thursday 25th July in Dartmouth Square at 6pm with Charles Eisenstein (author of the inspiring works The Ascent of Humanity and, most recently, Sacred Economics). He will be joined by Ireland's own Mark Boyle (author of The Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomic Living), who famously lived without money for over two years. Don't miss it.

http://transitiontownsireland.ning.com/events/charles-eisenstein-and-mark-boyle-in-dublin-23rd-and-cork-25th

Surfing the Waves of Change

This really excellent animation video from Cultivate is a real inspiration to get out there and get our community resilient.

I wrote recently about my efforts to get a discussion going on (the end of ) Economic Growth by contacting various news and current affairs programmes. I even sent a piece to Irish Economy Blog inviting the economists to respond to the challenge but nothing has appeared. The only thing I did pick up was a quote there “Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greater good of everyone.” (John Maynard Keynes).
I have started on Charles Hall's new book "Energy the Wealth of Nations " which makes a powerful attack on neoclassical economics as well as outlining what he considers to be a proper approach to economics. Hall is a scientist of high standing who has developed the concept of EROI, energy return on energy invested, which is basic to any understanding of energy systems and has applied it to many energy sources. For a sample of his thoughts see
http://www.esf.edu/efb/hall/documents/CEVol37No4-5_EndofFBEconomics.pdf
which is a scathing review of neoclassical economics.
His book is rather expensive though; it is conceived as an alternative text book on economics.

The Alternatives to Alternatives

A quick look at some of the alternative energy technologies beyond solar, wind and biofuels being developed and their current limitations.

http://www.ecomagination.com/the-alternative-crowd-the-most-unusual-renewable-energies

IEA Report

A new IEA report shows how the energy system can be transformed by new technologies ensuring an 80% chance of limiting long-term global temperature increase to 2°C. The report warns that this technological revolution would only be made possible with definitive policy actions and considerable investment.

http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/pressreleases/2012/june/name,27474,en.html

Climate Change and Peak Oil Threats Summary

Here is an overall summary by Feasta of the threats posed by Climate Change and Peak Oil, our possible futures as a result, and what needs to be done to allow a positive future to be achieved.

http://www.feasta.org/2012/07/13/climate-change-and-peak-oil-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/

Irish Bananas Someday?

Adding to the previous post here is an article on how a few English farmers have branched out into more exotic produce such as almonds, chilies and even looking into bananas and coffee! I wonder how the carbon footprint compares with those produced and transported from elsewhere. Would be great to grow your own bananas : ) Also the suggestion is that the stressful life they have struggling in our climate might make them even tastier!

http://m.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jul/11/british-farmers-growing-exotic-crops?cat=lifeandstyle&type=article

British Farmers Told To Grown More Curry Products

Here is an interesting article on how the British government has released a report that recommends the farming of chickpeas and spices to help with sustainability.

http://m.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jul/10/curry-ingredients-sustainability?cat=environment&type=article

Teagasc/RDS lecture series kicks off with 'The Perfect Storm

A series of lectures by Teagasc on the theme ‘Grand Challenges for Global Agriculture and Food’ will take place in the RDS starting on Thursday. The iseries will deal with the growing challenges of sustainably meeting the food security needs of a rapidly increasing global population and will be presented by outstanding international scientists and policymakers.

http://www.teagasc.ie/news/2012/201207-06.asp#.T_bOaysEJvE.twitter

More in the US willing to believe In Climate Change

The recent extreme weather conditions in the U.S. have convinced more Americans that Climate Change is happening.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/07/06/climate-change-belief-global-warming_n_1653115.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

More reaction to research.

http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2012-07-02/peak-denial

Peak Oil's Reaction to Research

http://peakoil.com/production/tech-talk-a-new-energy-report-from-harvard-makes-unsupportable-assumptions/

Research Weakens Peak Oil?

http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/02/peak-oil-we-we-wrong?cat=commentisfree&type=article