March 2018 eZine

2nd April 2018
In this edition we look for volunteers to help us out in Tailors’ Hall and look for people to join our various committees. We have 4 pieces written by the President of An Taisce – Fr. Sean MacDonagh. And we have one about the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins.

President Michael D Higgins ‘gets’ the crisis

2nd April 2018

I can report that Ireland’s President Michael D Higgins truly gets the challenges facing us all.
Charles Stanley-Smith

Would you like to get more involved?

2nd April 2018

Dear Member,

Would you like to get more involved?

The AGM is not until 16th June but we are already beginning our preparations, booking a speaker, etc. It is at the AGM that some Council members are elected. Some come as delegates from our local associations but an equal number (minus one) are nominated.

Do you know anyone who might be interested in coming onto our Council? We are looking for people, young or older, who would get involved in one of our committees and volunteer to do some of the work that needs to be done.

Looking for Volunteers – Do you live anywhere near Tailors’ Hall

2nd April 2018

Do you live in Dublin anywhere near The Tailors’ Hall?

We urgently need voluntary help to assist when we have events on in The Tailors Hall. (including for our AGM) It might be make tea and coffee, it might be to help set up and cover the registration desk, it might simply be to be available to answer queries and to ensure security and fire safety precautions are observed.

Most of the events are extremely interesting: conferences and seminars usually on planning or the environment amongst others.

Transboundary Environmental Public Consultation – Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Plant, UK

12th March 2018

Transboundary Environmental Public Consultation – Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Plant, UK

Deadline: Close of business on Tuesday 17 April 2018.

Have diesel cars a future? Fr. Seán McDonagh, SSC

2nd April 2018

On February 27th 2018, Germany’s top administrative court in Leipzig upheld a ruling that German cities had a right to ban diesel cars. Earlier a lower court in the cities of Stuttgart and Dusseldorf ruled that they could be banned because the small particles and nitrogen dioxide emitted by diesel cars are linked to cancer. Medical experts estimate that 12,000 people die each year in Germany from such pollution. In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report which stated that diesel fumes do cause cancer.

Plastics in the Oceans Fr. Sean McDonagh, SSC

2nd April 2018

February 2018 saw the publication of an important study in the journal Frontiers of Marine Science. It described the important research carried out by marine scientists of the National University of Ireland (Galway) on the amount of plastic in fish in the northwest Atlantic. The scientists travelled on board the Irish Marine Institute’s research vessel the Celtic Explorer. What they found did not make pleasant reading.

What has happened to our forests? Fr. Seán McDonagh

2nd April 2018

One of the major changes on planet earth that we seldom reflect on is that we have only half the trees that we had 40 years ago. According to Phil Hogan, the European Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner, only 3 trillion trees exist on the planet today, whereas 40 years ago there were 6 billion trees[1]. Because of this flora and fauna are disappearing at an estimated rate that is one thousand times higher than the normal rate.

Pope Francis Concerned about Global Warming Fr. Seán McDonagh, SSC

2nd April 2018

The fact that Laudato Si’ appeared six months before the crucial COP 21 meeting in Paris was very helpful. Memories of the abortive Copenhagen Conference in 2009 haunted those preparing for the Paris COP. Another failure would have done enormous damage to the United Nations efforts to get a global treaty in place. According to Prof John Sweeney, NUI Maynooth, Ireland, the detailed choreography involving the United Nations, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (JPIC) the Vatican, and the tireless efforts of the French diplomatic system.

Air Pollution – Is Ireland’s Public Health Protection fit for purpose

30th March 2018

Air pollution in Ireland is deteriorating at an alarming rate, according to new EPA data for 2016 [1]. Emissions of all five key air pollutants increased that year. Of these, three, namely ammonia, nitrogen oxides and non-methane volatile organic compounds were, for the first time, above normal EU emissions levels in 2016 [2].

Naughten ‘Powering Past Coal’ a welcome start – Peat & unsustainable Biomass must go too

14th March 2018

An Taisce welcomes Climate Action Minister, Denis Naughen’s renewed commitment to ‘Power Past Coal’ by ending all coal burning at the Moneypoint power station by 2025 [1]

However, what Minister Naughten also needs to urgently commit to is to ‘Power Past Peat’ and put an end to the three inefficient, highly polluting and ecologically disastrous peat-fired power plants operated by Bord Na Mona and the ESB.

Are electric vehicles cleaner? The evidence points firmly in one direction

2nd April 2018

From our Colleagues in Transport & Environment

Diesel sales slump and those of electric vehicles pass one million. As a result, the environmental benefits of EVs are under intense scrutiny. Do they really emit less CO2 than diesel and petrol cars? Or do they just shift the problem elsewhere?

Selection of Events for Newsletter: 
Duncan Stewart – Think Global – Act Local – Talk & Discussion
Learn 8 Bird Songs
The Fitzwilliams of Merrion
Bat Walk and Talk, Town Park Letterkenny
Climate Change
Food for Thought