Environment – Page 27 – Slugger O'Toole

South using North as a dumping ground?

Mick Fealty on May 31, 2006, 4:15 pm

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Interesting snippet from Hansard sent to us by reader Leslie: Between March last year and February, 14,619 tonnes of waste from the Republic of Ireland were legally moved to Northern Ireland, with a “significant proportion” eventually ending up in Great Britain. However, estimates suggest that between October 2002 and the end of 2004, 250,000 tonnes of household waste from the Republic was illegally dumped in Northern Ireland. Leslie also asks. Is this an unintended outcome of the pastic bag tax? …

Sustainable Development in the Countryside?

Mick Fealty on May 24, 2006, 2:47 pm

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After two months, Northern Ireland’s politicians had the opportunity to debate Jeff Rooker’s draft proposals for tightening regulation on rural developement. A DUP amendment to Patsy McGlone’s motion critical of Rooker’s draft was carried 35 to 17. Bob McCartney noted that there had been a surge in applications “from 3,000 to 8,500 — on the basis of farmers’ sons and daughters suddenly deciding that they require planning permission” Sinn Fein boycotted the debate.It’s worth reading the Hansard at length, but …

Number 1 – Mountains of Mourne

Pete Baker on May 5, 2006, 6:07 pm

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The Guardian’s Stephen Moss, with the help of some experts – it says in the intro, picks 10 truly great British holiday destinations.. “1 Mountains of Mourne”. Discuss. *ducks* Pete Baker

Ireland 3rd highest in EU for oil consumption per capita

Pete Baker on April 4, 2006, 6:27 pm

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RTÉ highlights one of the policy options, Ireland may need nuclear power, recommended by Forfás, the national board responsible for providing policy advice to Government on enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation in Ireland, in its latest report [full document here pdf file], but the report’s main focus is the Irish economy’s increasing dependency on oil and how to lessen the risks that dependency holds.The key finding of the report were – Key Findings – There is growing evidence to …

new waste management infrastructure expected to cost £270-300 million

Pete Baker on March 23, 2006, 7:25 pm

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Given the amount of cash sloshing around it’s good to know we have knowledgeable and professional people at the helm.. The Public Accounts Committee reports otherwise. The BBC report picks out some choice quotes – “woeful”, for example – but the PAC report, on the Department of Environment’s incompetent management of waste, has a short summary section, and a slightly longer conclusions and recommendations.. No 8 is worth highlighting in particular.. “Despite resource shortages, the Department allocated skilled staff to …

A heavy dose of reality

Pete Baker on March 3, 2006, 7:34 pm

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On the much publicised, but little evidence of, risks surrounding mobile phone masts, provided by Professor Anthony Barker, honorary Lecturer at the Department of Medical Physics of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, speaking today at a conference at the University of Ulster, as the Press Association report notes – “There is no reason to expect mobile phone signals – which are essentially low-powered radio transmissions – to be bad for health. For over 80 years we have accepted wireless transmissions …

“We’re all in this together” – Peter Hain

Pete Baker on February 27, 2006, 7:12 pm

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Another week, another two year funding package announced by the Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland, Peter Hain [should we be reading something into that 2-year time-frame? – Ed]. This time a �59million package, the Environment & Renewable Energy Fund, that will attempt to create a market for renewable energy in Northern Ireland. The BBC report focuses mainly on the 4,000 private home-owners that the government hope will avail of grants [of between 30-50% of the cost) to …

Nine out of Ten support wind Farms.

Ambrose Uprichard on May 19, 2005, 6:12 pm

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The British Wind Energy Association website carries a press release Nine out of ten people in Northern Ireland back wind farms, says new poll that looks at attitudes across Northern Ireland to wind farms and claims there is widespread popular support, which seems stronger in the South and West of the province.”Other findings of the poll, which interviewed 500 people in regions across Northern Ireland, revealed that: * Two-thirds of Northern Ireland people (66%) agreed that they would be happy …

Neither your place nor mine

Slugger O'Toole on April 29, 2005, 12:00 am

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That’s Lough Neagh – perhaps the most recognisable geographic feature on our map. There are a number of issues arising from this report by the BBC on the ownership of Lough Neagh – news that, in itself, may come as a shock to many. The owner Lord Shaftesbury, whose body was found in the Alps earlier this month after he went missing – he is believed to have been murdered – in November last year, seems to have had a …

No ifs and no butts; the smoking ban…

Belfast Gonzo on April 5, 2005, 12:22 am

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BRENDAN O’Neill believes the success of the Irish smoking ban is more to do with what he calls ‘Post-Traditional Stress Disorder’ than anything else. This new Irish politically correct agenda, he explains, is why the anniversary of the smoking ban was celebrated more than the 1916 rebellion this year.O’Neill writes: This helps explain why it [Ireland] has embraced – more fervently than any other state in Europe and perhaps the world, as Irish ministers keep reminding us – the new …

Ireland’s most dangerous roads

George on March 9, 2005, 5:04 pm

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An AA report has found that the most dangerous continuous stretch of road in Ireland is between Edgeworthstown and Armagh. In fact, looking at the risk rate map border roads seem to be very well represented.Other dangerous roads include the N54 between Clones and Monaghan, the N53 between Dundalk and the border as well as the road from Letterkenny to Strabane. Irish single carriageways have a collision rate of 11.5 fatal or injury crashes for every billion vehicle kilometres in …

Check those Cupboards and Fridges.

Ambrose Uprichard on February 18, 2005, 9:03 pm

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More details will doubtless follow and as a smoker I’m not going to let it bother me, but parents might feel differently about meals they were to prepare for their children. Ditto pregant women. From the Belfast Telegraph URGENT FOOD WARNING ISSUED The Food Standards Agency has issued an urgent warning after a potentially cancer-causing dye was discovered in more than 350 widely-eaten food products Full list from FSA’s websiteWhat is Sudan I ? Sudan I â€“ your questions answered …

Kyoto comes quietly into force…

Mick Fealty on February 17, 2005, 2:05 pm

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The Kyoto Protocol came into force yesterday with only RTE it seems giving the subject any decent air time (sound file). Apparently only 4 per cent of Ireland’s energy outputs are renewable.And the WWF calls on DETI to put together a strategy to tackle its status as “the worst climate culprit in the UK with CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions 3.0% and 1.9% higher respectively in 2002, compared to 1990 levels”. Ah, if only we had politicians in a position …

Environment: the virtuous Irish?

Mick Fealty on January 27, 2005, 5:05 pm

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Ireland’s come 21st out of 146 countries in an environmental sustainability index put together by Yale and Columbia Universities. However the Friends of Irish Environment argued that this position was falsely inflated, and masked a deterioration in air quality, land use, waste management and greenhouse gas emissions in recent years. This is one to keep an eye on for future years. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics …

Locals only housing…

Belfast Gonzo on January 19, 2005, 10:09 pm

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COULD this be the solution to Portstewart and Portballantrae’s housing problems? Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

Slaughter

Ambrose Uprichard on January 11, 2005, 10:55 pm

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Republic’s badger cull ‘not effective’. While people were getting all hot and bothered over Foxes, research being carried out in the Republic Of Ireland has led to the conclusion that “Although feasible, we acknowledge widespread badger removal is not a viable strategy for the long-term control of tuberculosis in the Irish cattle population.”What did this “Study” involve ? Dr Elaine King, chief executive for the National Federation of Badger Groups said: “Even if you exclude the moral and political implications …

Goodbye Ireland, Hello Southern England.

Ambrose Uprichard on November 18, 2004, 4:32 pm

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The Irish Independent has a deeply disturbing article on studies by scientists, using satellite pictures, at the European Environment agency. As well as detailing the destruction of environment and warning of problems to come, there is also evidence of widespread misuse of forestry grants resulting in extensive damage to bogland. Urban sprawl is ‘devastating’ rural landscapesFor those not registered, URBAN sprawl has devastated Ireland’s former rural landscape, according to the first aerial survey of Europe’s changing landscape. The sprawl – …

Worth a Listen

Ambrose Uprichard on November 12, 2004, 4:35 am

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AFTERNOON READING The below is about 16 minutes long. Wednesday 10 November The Prize by Colin Bateman, read by Adrian Dunbar From the blank walls of a prison cell to the blank walls of an art gallery – a Northern Irish ex-con goes on a journey of artistic self discovery. Producer Heather Brennon. Ambrose Uprichard

‘Water’ lot to pay – money down the drain?

Belfast Gonzo on November 10, 2004, 1:59 am

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THE publication of the General Consumer Council’s report on Government proposals for reforming the water service here has generated much political response…The DUP wants a Government ‘peace dividend’ to compensate for the years of underinvestment in infrastructure. So does the SDLP, who are advocating outright opposition to reform, which is seen as the thin end of the privatisation wedge (which it undoubtedly is). Sinn Fein doesn’t see a need for a separate water charge (as we already pay for water …

Ballymena

Ambrose Uprichard on November 4, 2004, 9:25 pm

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Sinn Féin representative Michael Agnew is reported as condemning pro-IRA graffiti in Ballymena. Would that all our politicians were as sensible. Ambrose Uprichard