Global Warming - passivehouseplus.ie

Our editor Jeff Colley's editor's letter from issue 30 received some particularly lovely praise, with architect Steve Mardall reaching out to say: "Was moved to write to commend you on your editor’s letter in this issue 30. You’ve perfectly captured the essence of the totality of where we are as a planet and a race. And captured well that subtle consensus of denial and ‘othering’ it, that is a compelling force to fall in line with if one is not to be labelled as a righteous crank. Your words articulate some of my own not formally articulated thoughts, and offer me clarity and impetus going forward." Meanwhile, AECB Carbon Lite Retrofit graduate Paul Forrester tweeted: "What a tremendously powerful piece of writing your editor’s letter is in issue 30 of @phplusmag. When I struggle to articulate all the thoughts, fears and conflicting ideas in my head, I might just show people that instead!" So here it is.

The UK’s official climate change advisor has called on the government to tighten energy efficiency standards for new housing to bring them down, or close to, passive house standard.

Over the past year cold snaps, heat waves and severe storms have all brought the reality of the climate crisis home to the UK and Ireland. But with the climate changing in fast and uncertain ways, how can we construct buildings that will remain resilient — and keep their occupants healthy and comfortable — long into the future?

Passive house pioneer Prof Dr Wolfgang Feist has welcomed the publication of the latest IPCC climate change report, and called for urgent action to reduce emissions.

Environmental groups have criticised the EU's new Energy Efficiency Directive for failing to mandate member states to make big energy savings over the next decade.

According to the European Commission, the plan will deliver 20% energy savings across the union by 2020. However, Friends of the Earth said the directive would "not make savings to the extent promised, or on the scale needed to fight climate change".

US secretary for energy Dr Steven Chu will speak in Dublin this Friday, 5 November. He will speak at the Pathways to 2050 International Energy Conference, which will take place at the National Convention Centre, Dublin.

Energy minister Eamon Ryan launched the new BE (Bachelor of Engineering) programme in energy systems engineering on Monday in NUI Galway.
 
The new course, which will be based in the new engineering building currently under construction on the campus, has been developed in partnership with members of the energy industry including ESB, GE Energy, Airtricity, Bord Gáis and Wavebob.

A new coalition of Irish business leaders has issued an open letter urging the government to leverage the State’s €17bn annual procurement spend to develop the green economy.

The CEOs and managing directors of companies including Siemens Ireland, Airtricity, Ecocem, Glen Dimplex and Bord Gais have signed up to Green for Growth, a coalition calling for the state to commit to buying greener goods and services to keep Ireland competitive domestically and internationally.

Green for Growth, a coalition of leading Irish businesses set up to demand strong government leadership on green procurement, will be launched tomorrow, Friday 14 May 2010 in The Annesley Suite, Alexander Hotel, Merrion Square, Dublin 2 at 12pm. The coalition has been organised by Construct Ireland magazine.

The BER Assessors Association of Ireland will hold its AGM and a series of workshops tomorrow, Friday February 19, in the Red Cow Moran Hotel, Dublin.

The workshops are open to members and non-members of the association. Information stands will be hosted by FÁS, Flo Gas, Kingspan Insulation, Kingspan Solar, OWL, Ecological Building Systems, and Construct Ireland.

Rising energy use in buildings contributed to an increase of 1.5% in overall energy demand in 2008, despite the economy contracting by 3% over the same period, a new report from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) reveals today.

Ireland risks social and economic disaster from climate change unless the government takes urgent action, according to the Irish Academy of Engineers.

In a new report the group says delivering critical infrastructure must be prioritised, otherwise the country risks polluted drinking water, extensive flood damage and power blackouts.

Ireland’s largest employers knocked E60 million off their energy costs in 2008 through efficiency measures, energy minister Eamon Ryan announced yesterday at the Sustainable Energy Ireland global conference on energy management in Farmleigh, Dublin.

Ten Irish companies developing ocean energy technologies will share e4.3millon in funding from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), the national energy authority announced yesterday.

The funding is aimed at enabling the companies to take their proposals and prototypes to the next stage of development.

Ireland now ranks fourth in the world for the contribution of wind energy to electricity use, according to the International Energy Agency's 2008 Wind Energy Annual Report.

Ireland, which supplies 8.7% of electricity demand from wind, is only behind Denmark (19.3%), Spain (11.7%) and Portugal (11.3%).

SPENDING ON the smart economy should be increased eightfold to almost e4 billion a year to make Ireland a world leader in creating green collar jobs, according to the national advisory body on sustainable development.



In a report on a “Green New Deal” for Ireland published yesterday, Comhar argued that a multi- billion euro commitment would be needed if Ireland was to become a sustainable, low-carbon economy.



IRELAND CANNOT afford to wait before investing in the green economy, the director general of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said.

Speaking at the organisation’s annual conference, Mary Kelly said there were significant economic opportunities for Ireland in becoming a low-carbon and greener economy.

Ireland could become the green energy capital of Europe and support over 80,000 green jobs, according to a new report released by Irish bio-energy firm BioPower.

Launching the report last Wednesday, energy minister Eamon Ryan said: "Clean energy will provide the solution to Ireland's economic and environmental challenges, securing the investment and jobs of the future.

A vital meeting in Copenhagen this weekend that will help shape the agenda for the most important climate change talks since the Kyoto protocol has been hijacked by some of the biggest polluters in the world, critics claimed today.  

 IRELAND WILL be one of the few countries left that will be habitable when global warming leads to a planet-wide catastrophe, one of the world’s best known scientists has predicted

ECONOMIC RECOVERY when it comes must involve Ireland developing a low-carbon “smart, green economy”, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said yesterday. 

NEW PROJECTIONS for Ireland’s Kyoto targets published barely a fortnight ago may already be out of date, Green Party TD Ciaran Cuffe has said.

Al Gore, the former US vice-president, delivers an upbeat assessment of the global response to climate change today, saying he believes a "political tipping point" has been reached which will enable leaders to avert environmental catastrophe.

Much hope has been pinned on the development of new technologies for sinking carbon and generating low impact energy. Richard Douthwaite reveals the major contribution that could be offered by something very old; a soil type that has been in use for 6,000 years.