Resources




	Downloadable Online Resources Factsheet - Effects of climate change on arctic migratory birds WWF During the summer many bird species migrate northwards to nest in arctic regions. The Arctic is expected to undergo extreme and relatively rapid changes as a result of climate change. This could impact on bird species that use the region for nesting purposes. However, birds are extremely mobile creatures and can move over large areas during a short period of time. Click to download Factsheet - Effects of climate change on arctic fish WWF The Arctic is home to several of the world’s largest fish stocks that support valuable commercial fisheries. The vast stocks of Pacific salmon along the costs of Alaska and Canada are well-known from pictures of bears fishing for salmon in fast-flowing rivers. Salmon is also an extremely valuable species of fish in both North America and Russia. Another well-known arctic species is Atlantic cod. Click to download Factsheet - Effects of climate change on arctic vegetation WWF Biological processes in the Arctic are considerably hampered by temperature and permafrost. Generally arctic ecosystems lack nutrients because the large quantities of organic materials in the soil are located in the thick layer of permafrost. The soil from which the plants obtain their nutrients for growth is thin, and most plant species are therefore limited to the nutrients available in this thin layer of soil. Click to download Factsheet - Effects of climate change on polar bears WWF The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the world’s largest species of bear and the largest land predator. There is a great difference in size between male and female polar bears, with the males (350-800 kg) weighing more than twice as much as the females (150-300 kg). Their body weight varies considerably during the season - especially female bears which can often double in weight between early spring and late summer. Click to download Defending Nature Against Climate Change WWF The climate models are no longer just projecting the future – they are confi rming impacts of climate change here and now. These are not abstract changes either. They are changes that we can see in our everyday lives and that threaten the success of WWF’s conservation mission. Click to download Climate Solutions: WWF's Vision for 2050 WWF Climate Solutions: WWF’s Vision for 2050, a report by the global conservation organization, shows that the world has more than enough sustainable energy and technology to curb climate change, but key decisions need to be made now. Click to download 2°C - Too High! Flyer WWF Isn't a 2° Celsius just a little temperature increase? Not really. Remember, the doctor said you were very ill when your temperature rose by a degree or two during a fever. Similarly, if the earth becomes hotter by 2°C (compared to preindustrial levels), ecosystems, food crops and livestock will not be able to survive. Click to download 2°C - Too High! Preventing Dangerous Climate Change WWF Climate change is already happenning and the Pacific is experiencing its devastating impacts. The 1998 El Nino caused a loss of FJD104m in Fiji's sugar industry and a 9% decline in Palau’s tourism earnings. Scientists warn that action must be taken, before the year 2050, to prevent climate change reaching dangerous levels, by limiting global temperature increase to well below 2° Celsius. Click to download A Guide to Building Energy Rating (BER) Sustainable Energy Ireland A Building Energy Rating or BER is similar to the energy label on your fridge with a scale of A-G. A-rated homes are the most energy efficient and G the least efficient. A BER certificate will be compulsory for almost all new homes by mid 2008. If you are buying or renting a new house or apartment now, you may already be entitled to a BER – so ask the seller/landlord or their agent for it. Click to download Radiators - Sizing & Positioning Sustainable Energy Ireland The size of radiator required for a room depends upon two factors. Firstly, the temperature that you want it to be able to maintain which is a relatively straightforward task and you can use Table 1 below as a guide. Click to download House of Tomorrow Dublin City Flats Factsheet Sustainable Energy Ireland The project was carried out within an overall integrated area plan for social, economic & environmental regeneration of the inner city. While the flats were structurally sound, they required major works to bring them up to modern standards of comfort, security and energy efficiency. Refurbishment work sought to repair the urban fabric, integrating energy efficiency design and creating diverse and cohesive living city quarters while keeping the existing close-knit community together. This provides a variety of housing and outdoor urban spaces. Click to download Energy in Business Sustainable Energy Ireland With increased costs and growing environmental concerns, energy efficiency has never been higher on the business agenda. Any business looking to its future competitiveness is looking at energy efficiency. Click to download Emerging Energy Technologies in Ireland:A Focus on Carbon Capture and Hydrogen Sustainable Energy Ireland This report takes a preliminary look at CCS and hydrogen use as components in an emissions reduction strategy for Ireland, and does not put forward specific recommendations. Click to download Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage in Ireland Sustainable Energy Ireland The purpose of this study is to build on the previous SEI report on emerging technologies, which dealt with CCS and hydrogen, and provide more accurate economic figures and scenarios of future deployment. In the previous study, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plants with CCS were identified as potential medium term emissions reducing solutions. These are thus the focus of this study. Click to download Climate Change - Implementation of the Global Climate Observing System in Ireland Environmental Protection Agency In 1992 Ireland was one of the over 180 signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Systematic, high-quality observations for the atmosphere, ocean and terrestrial environments are required to improve understanding of climate characteristics and assist in understanding the consequences of climate change. To support issues related to systematic observations, the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Secretariat was established within the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in 1992 to ensure that the observations and information needed to address climate-related issues are obtained and made available to all potential users. Click to download Focus on Waste Enforcement Environmental Protection Agency This report, produced by the Environmental Enforcement Network Working Group on Unauthorised Waste, contains summary details on enforcement work undertaken by Enforcement Network members in 2006. Click to download The Provision and Quality of Drinking Water in Ireland - A Report for the Years 2006-2007 Environmental Protection Agency This is the first report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the provision and quality of drinking water in Ireland since new Regulations, the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations (No. 2), 2007, came into force in March 2007. Click to download Water Quality in Ireland 2006 Environmental Protection Agency This report delivers timely, scientifically sound information on water quality to decision and policy makers in particular, as well as to the wider general public. The statistics, summarising the monitoring results for surface and groundwaters for the period 2004 – 2006, show that a high percentage of Ireland’s waters was of a satisfactory standard in 2006. Click to download The National Waste Prevention Programme Environmental Protection Agency This report provides an overview of progress made on a variety of projects related to the National Waste Prevention Programme (NWPP). Click to download National Waste Report 2006 Environmental Protection Agency This report presents information on waste generation and management in 2006, on waste management infrastructure and on initiatives towards waste prevention and recovery. It covers waste generated by householders, commercial premises and industrial operations. The report also highlights trends in waste generation and management and illustrates progress towards recovery targets. Click to download Ireland's National Allocation Plan for Emission Trading 2008-2012 Environmental Protection Agency Ireland's National Allocation Plan for Emission Trading 2008-2012, Final Allocation Decision 4 March 2008. Click to download CO2 EPA Emission Factors 2007 Environmental Protection Agency Subject to revision, the following factors may be used for calculating CO2 emissions for 2007 only. They are based on Ireland’s Specific Emission Factors used in the 2005 National Inventory reported to UNFCCC, unless otherwise stated. Please note that this table may be updated at anytime as new information becomes available. The fuel factor does not include an oxidation factor; this must be applied separately (except for cement kilns where combustion is assumed to be practically 100%). Click to download IRELAND’S GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN 2006 Environmental Protection Agency Based on the latest provisional inventory figures for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, Ireland’s emissions in 2006 were 69.77 Mtonnes, almost 7 Mtonnes (11%) above our Kyoto target of 62.84 Mtonnes. Click to download AIR QUALITY IN IRELAND 2006 Environmental Protection Agency Ambient air quality trends based on concentration measurements in 2006 of particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, black smoke, lead, ozone, carbon monoxide and benzene. Click to download Tackling Climate Injustice: towards an equitable response to a global crisis Trocaire 2008 Climate change is an issue of profound injustice, as it is the people around the world who have contributed least to creating the problem, who are being disproportionately affected by the impacts. The impacts of unpredictable rainfall, increasing droughts, floods and hurricanes are already being felt across the developing world, and the poorest people in these countries are being hit the hardest. In order to tackle poverty it is necessary to tackle climate change. This means addressing both the causes and the consequences of climate change in an equitable way. Click to download Irish Climate-Change Policy from Kyoto to the Carbon Tax: a Two-level Game Analysis of the Interplay of Knowledge and Power By Oisín Coghlan Centre for International Studies, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University Click to download Delivering A Sustainable Energy Future For Ireland Department of Coomunication, Marine and Natural Resources This White Paper sets out the Government’s Energy Policy Framework 2007-2020 to deliver a sustainable energy future for Ireland. It is set firmly in the global and European context which has put energy security and climate change among the most urgent international challenges. In charting the course for Irish energy policy, the Government is taking full account of global and EU developments. Click to download Carbon Fund Bill - Regulatory Impact Assessment Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government The European Community and all Member States have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and the Community has undertaken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 8% below 1990 levels in the five-year commitment period 2008-2012. The Protocol came into effect in February of this year and the Community's emission reduction target is now legally binding. As part of an EU burden-sharing agreement, Ireland has agreed to limit growth in emissions, to 13% above 1990 levels. Click to download Implementation of the National Climate Change Strategy Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Climate change is recognised as the most significant and threatening global environmental problem. This is being caused by emissions of greenhouse gases that occur as a result of some human actions. The international community responded to this problem at a United Nations conference in Kyoto, Japan in 1997. At that conference, the industrialised world agreed to start reducing these emissions through legally binding targets. Ireland’s target is to limit emissions to 13% above 1990 levels over the five year period 2008 to 2012, within an overall EU target to reduce emissions by 8% in the same timeframe. Click to download Ireland’s Pathway to Kyoto Compliance Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Almost six years ago, the Government’s National Climate Change Strategy set out the framework for Ireland’s response to global warming. The concept of partnership was central to the Strategy. At the domestic level, it identified necessary changes right across society. Every sector of the economy, and each of us as individuals, had a part to play. Click to download Ireland - National Climate Change Strategy 2007 - 2012 Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government There is now a scientific consensus that global warming is happening, that it is directly related to man-made greenhouse gas emissions, and that we have little time remaining to stabilise and reduce these emissions if we are to avoid devastating impacts on our planet. Click to download Your Guide to Electricity In The Home Sustainable Energy Ireland The use of electricity in the home accounts for approximately one third of the total electricity use in Ireland. While electricity makes our lives more comfortable and convenient, it is becoming increasingly important that we recognise how many things we do in a typical day that adds to our consumption of electricity. Click to download Your Guide to Renewable Energy In The Home Sustainable Energy Ireland Energy is essential to the comfort of our homes,providing space and water heating and electricity. However, there are many ways in the design, construction and operation of our homes of reducing energy needs and meeting those needs with renewable sources,without compromising warmth and comfort. Click to download Building An Energy Efficient Home Sustainable Energy Ireland While the Building Regulations require that new buildings achieve minimum standards of energy efficiency, higher levels are in many cases worthwhile. Since a house being built today can be expected to be occupied for 60 years or more, an energy-efficient design can yield considerable savings over its lifetime. Click to download How To Make Your Home More Energy Efficient Sustainable Energy Ireland The home is one of the largest users of energy in Ireland.It accounts for almost one third of the energy used in the country. Although energy is vital in our everyday lives,there are ways we can reduce the amount we use.This leaflet provides some practical advice on improving the energy efficiency of your home. Click to download A Detailed Guide To Home Heating Systems Sustainable Energy Ireland A major capital and on-going expense in your household budget is the provision of energy for heating your house and providing hot water for showers,baths,washing etc. The householder is faced with a bewildering choice of heating systems and this booklet will assist in examining options. Click to download A Detailed Guide To Insulating Your Home Sustainable Energy Ireland Many Irish houses, particularly those built before 1980, are very wasteful of energy. Various cost-effective energy saving opportunities exist which, through reducing fuel and electricity bills, can pay for themselves in a relatively short time. The implementation of energy conservation measures can also make the house warmer, more comfortable, and eliminate cold draughts and condensation. Click to download Your Guide To Renovating An Older Home Sustainable Energy Ireland So you are looking at an old house and hoping to buy! Renovation may be necessary, and it is sensible to incorporate energy saving measures with other home improvement work, to save you money in the long term. You should consider the potential for architectural improvement, better comfort and facilities to suit your lifestyle, conserve energy and minimise maintenance requirements. Click to download A Consumer Guide to Sustainable Energy Sustainable Energy Ireland Why do we use energy? We use it to generate warmth,switch on lights and power vehicles.We use it at home,in the office, on holiday, in fact pretty much everywhere we go. We’re probably using energy when we don’t even realise it; consider your freezer which is on 24 hours a day, the coffee machine at work, or the traffic lights at every junction. Undoubtedly some energy usage is crucial in the modern world,but there are many ways in which you,the individual,can make a difference and reduce your energy consumption. Click to download
	Back to Homepage

About Us