The Economic and Social Research Institute
(ESRI) is re-examining its report endorsing
Dublin City Council’s controversial plan for
a municipal waste incinerator on the Poolbeg
peninsula, after admitting that it contains
a number of errors.
Some of Ireland’s brightest scientific
and economic minds have become embroiled in
a public slanging match, amid claims that
each other’s reports into the national waste
market are erroneous.
Two eight-foot-tall, talking and dancing
semi-animatronic Polar Bears will visit the
Re-Energising Galway Family Day, organised
by NUI Galway, on Saturday, 13 February.
L'Oréal UK and Ireland, the UK National
Commission for UNESCO, the Royal Institution
of Great Britain and the Irish National Commission
for UNESCO, have partnered together to provide
a dedicated UK and Ireland For Women In
Science Fellowship Programme.
In a comment on the Finance Bill, IFA President
John Bryan said that the Bill contained some
positive measures as regards the calculation
of the Income Levy and the provision of relief
from the 80% Windfall Tax on the sale of single
sites.
The European Commission intends to prepare
revised internet security guidelines following
cyber attacks on EU Emissions Trading System
(EU ETS) registries.
As a contribution to European debate on
post-2010 vision and targets, the European
Environment Agency (EEA) will enhance its
support to policy makers by providing a detailed
picture of the current state of biodiversity
in Europe, as well as develop an information
system for sharing knowledge on biodiversity
across Europe.
Faversham House Group have announced the
launch of the IWEX University Challenge at
the International Water & Effluent Exhibition
(IWEX) on Thursday, 22 April 2010.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
is taking a High Court case against the operators
of a landfill site in Co Kildare, claiming
they are in breach of a licence granted under
the Waste Management Act.
Tetra Pak, the world leader in food processing
and packaging solutions, has announced that
many of its Irish customers will now be able
to use the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
label across the nation’s favourite brands.
The ESRI has published its report - 'An
Economic Approach to Municipal Waste Management
Policy in Ireland' - which provides a
roadmap for managing municipal waste in an
efficient manner that minimises the costs
to society.
The wind energy sector has expressed concern
that just 2.3% of wind installations across
Europe are in this country - despite our natural
climatic advantages.
Business in the Community Ireland and BT
Ireland held a very successful member networking
event - ‘What happens next? - Sustainability
post-Copenhagen' - ON Wednesday 27th January
at BT Ireland's head office in Dublin.
Ballymun Regeneration Ltd. publishes its
newsletter - Regeneration News - as
a means of keeping every household in Ballymun
and the surrounding areas informed of the
latest developments.
We might have stopped talking about road
salt, but councils around the country have
not stopped using it - and with it comes the
potential for corrosion of bridges as the
supporting steel embedded in the concrete
literally rusts away.
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries
and Food, Brendan Smith TD, has reminded farmers
that they should start thinking about whether
they need a nitrates derogation for the current
year.
In Northern Ireland, the Utility Regulator
- the independent body which regulates water
and sewerage services - has published its
final determination on NI Water’s Price Control
2010-2013 (PC10), which identifies £91 million
of revenue savings.
A spokesman for Environment Minister John
Gormley said it was “difficult to understand
the motive” of Dublin City Council in commissioning
the ESRI report “apart from as an attempt
to undermine the national review of waste
policy”.
The UK government is giving Irish-Scottish
green energy developer Aquamarine Power close
to €6 million to aid the manufacture of its
latest wave-powered electricity generator.
In Northern Ireland, according to Friends
of the Earth, every household has 80 plastic
bags - including ‘bags for life’ -
in their possession that end up in the bin.
Shell EP Ireland has been given a three-month
extension to submit a revised application
to An Bord Pleanála for the controversial
Corrib gas pipeline route in Co Mayo.
Environment Minister John Gormley has increased
the landfill charge to €30 - a 50% increase
in just over a month and he intends increasing
it further in the future.
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency’s
NetRegs website has relaunched its 'Learning
about Agricultural Waste Tool' - an easy-to-use
online guide for helping farmers manage their
agricultural waste.
Mr Noel Dempsey TD, Minister for Transport,
has promised continued action of creating
a culture of cycling in Ireland, saying that
increased levels of cycling will be a key
element in delivering a sustainable travel
and transport system in Ireland by 2020.
A Circuit Court judge has said that unusual
circumstances led him to adjourn an application
by Kerry County Council to imprison the operator
of one of the region’s largest waste-recyclable
operators for continuing to operate an illegal
waste-transfer station near Listowel.
The Limerick regeneration programme - to
transform blackspot estates such as Moyross,
Southill, St Mary’s Park and Ballinacurra
Weston - remains in confusion due to inadequate
government funding, it has been claimed.
In Northern Ireland, the College of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) have been
awarded the LEAF (Linking Environment and
Farming) at a special ceremony at Greenmount
Campus by Caroline Drummond, Chief Executive
of LEAF.
A man who refused to pay €241 domestic
waste-collection charges, on the grounds that
Dublin City Council was obliged to implement
charges on a pay-by-weight basis in accordance
with the 'polluter pays principle',
has lost a Supreme Court challenge to a District
Court order requiring him to pay up.
NUI Galway’s Socio-Economic Marine Research
Unit (SEMRU), in association with the Marine
Institute, recently hosted the 1st Annual
Beaufort Marine Socio Economic Workshop at
the Marine Institute Headquarters on 3rd November
2009.
Fifty-five countries have formally pledged
to cut or limit their emissions in a move
welcomed by the UN's climate change body as
an important step towards achieving a legally
binding global agreement.
Innovation is famously described as one
per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration
- great ideas are rarely sufficient, the challenge
is to execute them.
The UK faces power cuts over the next decade
unless ministers take greater control of the
privatised gas and electricity network, the
energy regulator has warned.
European nations have agreed how they would
carve up billions of euros of European Union
funding to help develop advanced renewable
power or carbon-trapping technology.
Carbon trading registries in half of Europe
have been hit by hackers, who broke security
systems to steal emissions rights certificates
from companies to sell them on, the Financial
Times Deutschland (FTD) newspaper reported,
citing officials.
Supermarket group Tesco, which pumps out
some four million tonnes of carbon a year,
has opened its first zero carbon store as
part of its bid to be a carbon neutral company
by 2050.
Companies working on technologies designed
to improve the UK's flood defences have been
given a major boost with the launch of a giant
water tank designed to test the effectiveness
of new flood defences.
Canada has trimmed its goals for cutting
emissions of greenhouse gases and made clear
it will follow the US lead on fighting climate
change, a move that prompted fresh criticism
from green groups.
Some 56 percent of large firms would in
the future deselect suppliers for failing
to meet criteria on managing carbon emissions,
according to a survey by the Carbon Disclosure
Project (CDP).
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme)
has announced that WES Greenstar will add
20,000 tonnes per year of re-processing capacity
for non-bottle household plastic packaging
- such as margarine tubs, yoghurt pots and
meat trays - following the capital grant competition
launched in June 2009.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is
working on proposals for a multibillion dollar
'green fund' to help countries tap
funds to deal with the effects of climate
change, according to the head of the institution.
Targeting mainland China with his energy-saving
inventions, Peter Fung and executives like
him have their eye on the hottest competitive
advantage around - an ambitious government
with deep pockets.
With a theoretical storage capacity more
than 10 times higher than today’s best lithium-ion
batteries, it’s no wonder lithium-air batteries
are being touted as one of the types of batteries
that could make electric cars truly mainstream.
The newly published January launch issue
of ISO Focus+
magazine provides insights into the 'people'
aspects of what it takes to develop ISO International
Standards.
A small group of UK firms is poised to
trial an innovative personal carbon trading
scheme that promises to slash employees' carbon
emissions by offering the greenest members
of staff financial bonuses.
The London Development Agency (LDA) has
teamed up with a group of the capital's largest
property owners to release a set of guidelines
designed to help businesses and landlords
measure and reduce the energy use from commercial
buildings.
At its third Forum in Leipzig, to be held
26-28 May 2010, the International Transport
Forum (ITF) will offer a 'Young Researcher
Award' to recognise a young researcher
- or researchers - who submits the best research
paper on the 2010 Forum theme - 'Transport
and Innovation'.
The European chemical industry is embracing
innovation to ensure sustainability - moreover,
through innovation, the industry is providing
measures to facilitate a sustainable society.
Carmakers are making the process of searching
for a fuel-efficient car 'like looking
for a needle in a haystack', by burying
CO2 figures for their
models online, according to experts and campaigners.
The government's plans to establish the
UK as a low-carbon manufacturing hub have
been given a major boost with the news that
engineering firm Mabey Bridge is to open a
new factory in Wales to build towers for wind
turbines.
Barack Obama has put himself firmly behind
the effort to get a climate change bill through
Congress - but said it must include a new
generation of nuclear power.
Leading figures within the oil industry
clashed at the recent World Economic Forum
in Davos over the risk to energy security
posed by the 'peak oil' phenomenon.
IKEA has teamed up with the Tree Council
of Ireland and Fingal County Council to help
create two woodlands located at Santry Demesne
and Turvey Park, Donabate.
A change to the new carbon tax to ensure
it does not unfairly penalise producers of
biofuels is being considered in discussions
on the Finance Bill, to be published this
week.
IFA President John Bryan has called on
the Government to address the discrimination
in the calculation of the Carbon Tax on Farm
Diesel in advance of the publication of the
Finance Bill.
Presented by Teagasc and Irish Bioenergy
Association, The National Bioenergy Conference
2010 will take place at the Tipperary Institute
on Thurles 18th February 2010.
During 2009, AIB conducted an energy reduction
programme and achieved 15% decrease in energy
usage at its head-office location, at Bankcentre,
where 4,500 staff are employed.
On Friday 12th February, South Dublin County
Council will host a one-day seminar - entitled
‘Sustainable Energy Communities: Challenge,
Response and Experience’ - at the Civic
Theatre, Tallaght.
IEN, the umbrella group for Ireland's national
environmental organisations, has commended
Dublin City Council for introducing the country's
first city centre 30kph zone, saying it points
the way for other city and town councils to
undertake similar initiatives.
In December 2009, Environment Minister
John Gormley published the Food Waste Regulations
(SI 508 of 2009) heralding national legislation
for the source separation of food waste from
major commercial premises.
The State will mount a rigorous defence
to the legal challenge by supermarket giant
Dunnes Stores against a tax assessment of
€36.4m arising out of the levy for plastic
shopping bags.
The European Union has formalised its support
for the Copenhagen Accord on climate change
and presented its commitments for emission
reduction targets.
The UK public overwhelmingly support a
much more ambitious scheme to push renewable
energy for homes and communities, a new poll
has shown ahead of a key UK government announcement
due shortly.
Search
