Choking Modern Ireland
Take a look at the data below, which comes from this recently released CO2 emissions report by the CSO. (You can get the data I used to make the chart here).
I've taken the largest emitters of CO2 by sector, and graphed them. The data pull out an interesting story. We see a mitigation of the levels of CO2 being pumped into the air my mining and manufacturing, and an increase in the levels of CO2 being emitted by residential areas. Overall, I have to say, though this picture looks bleak, and Ireland's environmental record is dismal, to say the least, and, though it could have been worse, the overall trend is upward, sadly, and projected to increase further. Ireland in 2050 spends quite a bit of time going through the likely effects of climate change on Ireland and the average Irish family.
Stephen Kinsella Blog
Ireland’s recent flooding is only a taste of things to come. Few towns in Ireland even have a flood defence scheme, much less a system of levees.
One challenge facing Ireland by the year 2050 is the persistent risk of rainfall. Increased rainfall brings with it an increased risk of floods, as Read more text
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 In the long run, Ireland faces two apparently unrelated challenges. First, our infrastructural deficit will grow due to repeated government cutbacks. Secondly, as our population ages, our society will struggle to pay for pensions of a greyer society. The two problems of pensions provision, and Read more text
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Image by PienJoris via Flickr
Just published in Verbal Magazine
Ireland has a reputation as a land where artists can thrive. Often, Ireland don’t deserve that reputation. I believe it makes long term economic, social, and cultural sense to ensure we keep funding the arts in Ireland for two Read more text
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Here's my interview on TV3 last week, explaining a little about the Read more text
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 Let's talk about the future. Feminism is going to die in the next 40 years. By 2050, equal rights, legal protection, and social equality for women will have been enshrined in Irish law and, more importantly, in the Zeitgeist, for three generations or more.
In 2009, we are now as far away from Read more text
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 Take a look at the data below, which comes from this recently released CO2 emissions report by the CSO. (You can get the data I used to make the chart here).
I've taken the largest emitters of CO2 by sector, and graphed them. The data pull out an interesting story. We see a mitigation of the Read more text
|
Stephen Kinsella, PhD , is a lecturer in Economics at the University of Limerick. Originally from Dublin, and in his early thirties, he has lived and studied in the US before taking up his position in the Kemmy Business School. His book Ireland in 2050 began as a newspaper opinion piece in the summer of 2008, which sparked a huge response.
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@Paschald Excellent stuff, see you there.
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@peterstafford I didn't hibernate Peter, just didn't tweet. Yep, have been watching it all go a bit pear shaped. Glad to be back though.
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Coolest college courses in the US: http://bit.ly/9bRvjS
Comments
Transport has the clearest upward trend which is presumably due to the total dominance of the car in Ireland and elsewhere. With no serious non-car transport policy, I would expect this trend to continue to 2040 or so when petrol and other carbon fuels will become prohibitively expensive and energy sources will be commonplace. There is no rush to accelerate the move away from single user fossil fuel cars. indeed the pitiful numbers of buses in Ireland for example, have been cut and 'Green' ministers promote the use of incinerators for waste disposal. Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
Cheers for the quote—Do you think we'll see large scale structural change in the economy post-recession, with a set of new technologies replacing the polluting ones? Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
I've just finished the book (which was excellent) and came to have a look at this website. What do you think are the chances that all this talk of a "Green New Deal" will come to something? Couldn't ideas like the Spirit of Ireland initiative help to bring down emissions in the Industry and Residential categories at least? Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
We'll also see a return to smaller cars as was the case pre-boom. Gas guzzling will become a rich mans luxury again.
Other than that, I think we'd need significantly prolonged recession or significant increases in fossil fuel prices to drive structural change in the way we consume energy. Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
Thanks for the comment, and the kind words. I think the 'new green deal' will amount to more than the sum of its expenditure by government, but not for the reasons the government thinks. One innovation produced by these billions of US dollars and Euros will change how we configure industrial society, but there won't be any relationship between the amount of money put into that project and the societal effects of it. So, for example, a guy on sabattical came up with Scotch tape, the Internet was a pretty cheap defense development, and Html was designed by Berners-Lee while skiving off work in CERN in Switzerland.
So the new green deal will work, we just have no idea how!
In the main though, the deal is shot through with pork-barrel projects (or perhaps tofu-barrel), and so that may reduce the likelihood of its success. Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
Sorry, just saw this comment, how about the large scale support for farmer's markets in the new PFG?
http://www.greenparty.ie/en/government/agreed_programme_for_government, page 29?
Just as a swipe though, I haven't had a chance to look through this properly—I do feel duty bound to respond to each comment :) Reply | Reply with quote | Quote
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