FEASTA ebulletin 3rd March 2006

Contents

1. The Great Emissions Rights Give-Away
2. Energy Rationing & the Oil Price Crisis
3. Volunteers Needed for National Spring Clean
4. Understanding the Economics of Sustainability to Run September 06
5. Thank You to All Our Supporters
6. Truagh Development Association Win Anne Behan Community Award
7. Meeting for Education Working Group on March 13th in Dublin
8. Learning To Live With Less Fossil Fuel - April 19th to 23rd
9. FEASTA Nuclear Power Briefing at Convergence
10. Membership

The Great Emissions Rights Give-Away

Hot off the press here is a brand new pamphlet from FEASTA and the New Economics Foundation. The Great Emissions Rights Give-Away exposes the fundamental flaws of the current EU Emissions Trading System - including lack of accountability, added incentives for heavy polluters to continue business as usual, and unnecessarily increased cost to the public.

This ETS has been running since January 2005 and a revised version is planned for the five years from 2008 to 2012. However a much more fundamental revision is needed than is currently envisaged in EU policy circles. This can only happen if European public opinion is alerted to the grave inadequacies of the current system. You heard it here first!

FEASTA believes that the current ETS should be reformed - and that from 2008 onwards, permits covering all the emissions allowed in any year under the EU's Kyoto commitment should be divided up on an equal per capita basis and distributed to every EU resident. A similar approach has been proposed by the the Sky Trust, and also by FEASTA member Dr David Fleming, whose Tradable Energy Quotas involve the distribution of part of the rights to emit to the public.

It is hoped that the dissemination of these ideas will kick start a European campaign to change the current ETS. If you would like to take part contact the convenor of Climate group at climate@feasta.org. You can download The Great Emissions Rights Give-Away here in pdf format (520K), or send an A4 stamped addressed envelope to FEASTA, 10a Lower Camden St, Dublin 2.

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Energy Rationing & the Oil Price Crisis

The recent tripling of oil prices is causing great hardship for the world's poor. According to the World Bank, higher energy prices can hit the poor twice as hard as those in the highest income group. Higher energy prices will also increase the cost of farm inputs like fertiliser and tractor fuel, pushing up the cost of food. FEASTA believes that energy rationing, introduced on either a national or an international level, could prevent malnutrition and fuel poverty increasing in the countries in which rationing is used.

The Energy & Climate working group (you can contact the group convenor at climate@feasta.org ) has recently issued a paper setting out a scheme for fossil fuel rationing that could help to stabilise the world economy and bring prosperity to poorer lands. The paper was distributed at the international climate change meeting in Montreal, and is available to FEASTA members free of charge.

Find out more by sending an A4 size stamped addressed envelope to FEASTA, 10a Lower Camden St, Dublin 2. Offer valid while stocks last!

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Volunteers Needed for National Spring Clean

For the eighth year running the National Spring Clean takes place this April. It is Ireland's largest nationwide anti-litter campaign and it aims to get as many groups as possible out and cleaning up their local areas for a day of action.

A clean-up can take any form, depending on what the community feel are the most pressing concerns in their area or depending on what they think they could tackle best. It could take the form of a litter pick on a particular street; in a local Œgrot-spot' or heavily littered area; a park, a natural area or it could involve a beautification action involving clearing litter, pruning, planting etc. As April is also the time of year when animals are rearing young, nesting or spawning and plants are making new growth - spring clean teams need to remember to take extra care not to disturb wildlife when cleaning up. Teams too should be careful not to clear natural litter such as fallen trees, leaves, stones etc. as these provide habitats and food sources for wildlife.

The National Spring Clean seeks to remind us all that litter is not only visually intrusive, expensive to clear up, downgrades the community and effects the immediate environment where it is dropped. Litter can also be blown or washed far from where it is dropped and into wildlife and natural habitats, ditches, hedges, water and beaches where it can trap, injure or even be mistakenly eaten by animals and it can also affect plant growth. When large quantities of litter rot or biodegrade they pollute flora, fauna, soil and water. Some forms of litter take hundreds of years to rot, while others never do.

By taking part you are helping to make your community and the natural environment a cleaner, healthier and more enjoyable place to live. To take part in the National Spring Clean call (01) 400 2220 or email your details to nsc@antaisce.org See www.nationalspringclean.org and www.antaisce.org for more details.

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Understanding the Economics of Sustainability to Run Again - September '06 in Dublin

Many of you will be pleased to know that the very successful 10 week evening course from FEASTA's Education Working Group 'Understanding the Economics of Sustainability' will be running again this autumn at the Cultivate centre in Temple Bar. The course will take place on Tuesday evenings for ten weeks, from 26th September to 28th November. Exploring such topics as:

- An Introduction to Environmental and Ecological Economic theories
- Debt-based Economies and the Growth Imperative
- Measuring Progress and Indicators of Sustainability
- The Implications of Climate Change and Peak Oil for Sustainable Development
- Trade and the Environment
- Localisation

and other related issues, last time it ran the course attracted a enthusiastic mix of FEASTA members, community and environmental activists, and interested individuals.

Contributors included Richard Douthwaite of FEASTA, Tom Campbell and Patrick Marren from the Development Studies Centre, Sue Scott of the ERSI, Liz Cullen of the Irish Doctors Environmental Network and Paul Connolly of the Marine Institute.

For more information contact Davie Philip, phone 01 674 6415 or email him at education@feasta.org

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Update on Finance & Thank You to Our Supporters

There has been a generous response from members and supporters following the appeal that went out last year but FEASTA is still in need of further funds to finance salaries, rent and other ongoing expenditure.

If you can make any contribution, however small, it would help. Payment can be made by cheque payable to Feasta Ltd and sent to FEASTA, 10a Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2, or by credit card via the website. If you would like to make a regular standing order payment via your bank, please email feasta@anu.ie to request a standing order form. Tax relief may be available on donations of €250 or over in a year.

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Truagh Development Association Win Anne Behan Award

A Co. Monaghan community group that is seeking to establish a cross-border wildlife refuge has become the winner of the first Anne Behan Community Sustainability Award, established by FEASTA. Truagh Development Association beat off stiff competition from Longford Environmental Alliance (www.l-e-a.org) and GAP Ballymun (www.ballymun.info) to win the award.

"The judging process went right down to the wire," maintains Billy Murphy of the Wexford Partnership, who convened the panel. In the end, though, whilst the standard of the entries was "very high," it was felt that the level of community participation and support that Truagh enjoyed locally was most in keeping with the spirit of the Anne Behan award.

Established in 2004 in memory of the independent environmental consultant Anne Behan (1959-2004), this annual award is given to the Irish community that Feasta believes "has done most during the previous few years to build its economic self-reliance, to strengthen itself socially and culturally, and to protect and enhance its natural environment."

Its essence is reflected best, perhaps, in the opening line of an essay that Anne wrote in 2002: "Any initiative to promote sustainability must relate to people." Anne recognised the importance of participation if communities were to be truly self-sustaining, and it is people who are the focus of this award local people working to promote the sort of integrated approach to sustainability - economic, social, cultural and environmental to which Anne was so passionately committed. Fittingly, the award itself, a beautiful handturned bog oak bowl, was carved by Anne's husband, Ken Maye.

The award will run again this year. For more details, and to download an application form, see this page.

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Meeting for Education Working Group on March 13th in Dublin

Convenor of the FEASTA Education Group Davie Philip will be holding a meeting to explore how to further develop and promote the learning initiatives that FEASTA have undertaken. This will take place at the Cultivate centre at 6.30pm on 13th March. Contact Davie for further details - phone 01 674 6415 or email him at education@feasta.org. ALL WELCOME!

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Learning to Live With Less Fossil Fuel - Convergence Sustainable Living Festival April 19th-23rd

FEASTA are once again content partners in the eleventh Convergence Sustainable Living Festival in April. We live at a interesting point in history with rapidly rising oil and gas prices in the face of shrinking supply and booming demand and repeated warnings that the impact of climate change will be more severe than previously thought. It is expected that the world's economy will falter and significantly slow down as global oil production peaks, we therefore need to rethink how we are doing things and prepare ourselves to go further by weaning ourselves from our addiction to oil. This could mean a healthier, more fulfilled and ecologically sustainable way of life that values efficiency, community and the local economy. This festival explores this issue through conferences, workshops film screenings and more. Not to be missed.

Call 01 6745773 or see www.sustainable.ie for more details or request a full programme from convergence@sustainable.ie

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FEASTA Nuclear Power Briefing At Convergence - Why Nuclear Power Cannot Be a Major Power Source for the Future

FEASTA's Nuclear Power briefing will be launched at a major forum on 20th April at the Convergence festival. British economist Dr. David Fleming will be presenting the briefing - but just to whet your appetite, here is The Lean Guide to Nuclear Power

- Nuclear power is a minor source of electricity and can never supply much more than the present 2?% of global energy demand.

- Nuclear fission itself does not produce carbon dioxide, but all the other stages in the nuclear life-cycle do so.

- It is only the rich uranium ores that can be used. Poorer ores would require more energy than nuclear power yielded as electricity.

- There is enough rich uranium ore for nuclear power to provide all the electricity used worldwide - while at the same time clearing up the new waste it produced - for about four years.

- If, in addition, the industry were to clear up its backlog of waste (which has to be dealt with in due course), it could provide the electricity used worldwide for about two years.

- The remaining option is Lean Energy: (1) energy conservation; (2) structural change to build economic and energy systems locally; (3) renewable energy; and (4) a pathway, such as tradable energy quotas (TEQs), to drastic reduction in energy demand.

- A heavy investment in nuclear power would divert both the policy focus and funds from Lean Energy...

- ....and it would fail, since a worldwide dash for uranium would be stalled by supply limits.

- Nuclear reactors release low-level radioactivity, which is ingested by inhalation or swallowing, and which can cause cancer.

- Improved design is in principle reducing the risk of accident, but rapid growth would offset this, owing to: (1) raised probability of terrorist action; (2) lowered standards; (3) the build-up of waste; and (4) the loss of plausible grounds on which to prevent a rogue state from building nuclear reactors for offensive purposes.

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Membership

Membership of FEASTA gives you the opportunity to support the foundation's work and entitles you to a discount on the Feasta review due out next month, two newsletters, quarterly e-mail bulletins, and concessions on our events and publications.

€20 for a years membership
€10 concession for students and unwaged
€30 for a voluntary group or organisation
€65 for a funded group or organisation

If you are not a member please consider becoming one. Credit card payments accepted, and of course, donations are very welcome.