Threat to the Environment is from Government Policy not Climate Change

There was some very positive news recently, as environmental campaigner Peter Sweetman, managed to quash an attempt by the Irish Government, specifically the Minister for Culture and Heritage, to remove protections for the rare Pearl Mussel in the river Blackwater. The Minister eventually admitted that they had breached the Strategic Environmental Directive (SEA) before the High Court Judge could rule. So on the one hand, the Government pays plenty of lip service to Climate Change and reducing emissions, but then sinisterly sets about destroying what's left of our environment. By so doing, it is able to lay the blame at "climate change" and divert blame away from itself.

The Department claimed that the protections for the pearl mussel would negatively affect their plans to urbanize more of Ireland's environment:

The Department meantime was made aware by Cork County Council and Irish Water that the inclusion of the 

pearl mussel in the qualifying interests for the Blackwater Main Channel was making it extremely difficult to allow 

developments to occur in the towns and villages along the river. Partly in that context, but mainly given the 

approach  recommended by the national expert, the Department decided that the Blackwater Main Channel 

should be removed  from the First Schedule to the 2009 Regulations, while retaining two tributaries, the Allow 

and Lickey.

And of course, the national experts, the ones who's job it is to restrain stupidity, are the very 

ones giving credence to it. 

Well done to Peter Sweetman for doing the job that our well funded NGOs are supposed to be 

doing. 

March in Ireland is Becoming Colder

Latest temperature data from Met Eireann shows that March is becoming colder in Ireland when temperature records from the past four years are compared with the long term average.  This will mean longer winters as we have had in 2020 and later growing seasons.

In 2016, the EU warned that :

A warming of the climate is expected to result in an earlier start of the growing season in spring and a longer duration in autumn. The date of the last frost in spring is projected to advance by about 5–10 days by 2030 and by 10–15 days by 2050 throughout most of Europe  

Which shows how hard it is to predict the future climate. We, here in Ireland, actually experienced the opposite, prolonged winters and delays to the start of the growing season.  

Back to Fossil Fuels

One third of Ireland's exports is Medical and pharmaceutical products but yet we are still reliant on China for medical supplies during the coronavirus crisis. Coal obsessed China. 

During the crisis, the obsession with renewables has being dispensed with and we are now as a nation happy to use fossil fuels guilt free again. 

Where hospitals get their energy from :

Cargo ships are keeping the nation fed during the crisis. 

How are cargo ships fueled ?  Heavy fuel oil and marine diesel oil.

And equally important are the diesel fueled lorries going up and down the motorways.  

When the chips are down in a crisis like we are now in, reliable energy sources are essential. It's just a fact that fossil fuels are the only option that meets that requirement right now. If Extinction Rebellion got their way, the deaths from coronavirus would be much greater.