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ENERGY AND CLIMATE The Energy and Climate group has as many members in Britain as it has in Ireland with others around the world. It is currently one of the most active groups within Feasta. The main thrust of its work from 2005 onwards has been an exploration of the effect that very much higher energy prices are likely to have, whether these arise as a result of oil and gas depletion or because of restrictions on fossil fuel use in order to prevent catastrophic climate change. Its conclusion has been that as a vital commodity such as oil grows increasingly scarce, its distribution cannot be left completely to the market, particularly as the use of fossil fuels enhances human productivity to such an extent that large energy users will always be able to outbid poorer people, perhaps leaving the latter with no energy at all. The group has therefore developed a system of what is effectively fossil energy rationing, although it is the emissions from fossil fuels that are rationed rather than the fuels themselves. This means that the proposal is also an effective way of limiting climate change. The European emissions trading system (ETS) could be developed into an emissions rationing system on the lines the group suggests and in March 2006 it launched a website, www.euemissions.com to discuss the radical reform of the EU ETS. In November 2006, the group launched the Cap and Share campaign to promote its ideas to the public and to politicians. (See www.capandshare.org) Cap and Share will operate independently of Feasta though, at present, most of its most active members are in the Energy and Climate group. The group has also launched a third website www.energyscenariosireland.com which looks at the effect that increasingly high fossil energy prices could have on the Irish economy and society. Much of this work was carried out under contract to the Irish government's Environmental Protection Agency and a full report was posted on this website in mid-2007 (see below). Most of the group's discussions are carried out over the internet. We have an online Cap and Share forum here. Please do not sign up for the forum email list unless you are seriously interested in participating in the group's work. The traffic can be quite heavy. We also have more general forums on energy, climate and biochar. For further information, e-mail the
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ARTICLES AND MULTIMEDIA ON ENERGY AND CLIMATE FROM THIS WEBSITE: Articles are ordered with the most recent ones first. This report was published by Comhar, the Irish Sustainable Development Council. It was launched by the Minister of the Environment, and contains two detailed studies about Cap and Share by AEA Energy & Environment and Cambridge Econometrics.
This 106-page report was commissioned by Comhar, the Irish national sustainable development council, from the British consultancy AEA Energy and Environment. It discusses how Cap and Share could be used at a national level to control Ireland's greenhouse emissions. It is very favourable to C&S and shows that it is superior to a carbon tax. Printed copies are available for €25 postpaid. Memorandum to the Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry into Personal Carbon Allowances 16 July 2007 (PDF document, 220k) The Environmental Audit Commission of the United Kingdom Parliament is investigating the feasibility of introducing Personal Carbon Allowances to control greenhouse gas emissions. Feasta member Laurence Matthews was invited by the EAC to supply information about Cap and Share. Executive summary: The Committee asks whether personal carbon allowances (PCAs) are desirable, and whether they are practical. There remain doubts about their practicality, and PCAs are only desirable because of the ends they achieve - they cap personal carbon emissions effectively and equitably. Cap & Share achieves these same ends, but is simpler, faster and cheaper to implement. Under Cap & Share the UK emissions cap is shared out equally to the adult population: everyone receives certificates which they sell, via banks, to the primary fossil fuel suppliers. Cap & Share delivers personal carbon trading implicitly, avoiding many of the problems with PCAs (impacts, operational feasibility, public acceptability) that concern the Committee. Comparison of Cap and Share and Tradable Energy Quotas (TEQs) prepared by David Fleming and Feasta. 16 July 2007 Using Cap and Share to control emissions from the EU transport sector 22 June 2007 (PDF document, 250K) The Feasta climate group has participated in the current review of the workings of the EU's emissions trading system by proposing that all Europe's transport emissions should be capped and tradable permits for the tonnage of carbon dioxide involved distributed each year to every adult EU resident. For a more detailed overview, please see the executive summary. Using Cap and Share to control Irish road transport emissions 22 June 2007 (PDF document, 125K) This paper suggests that Ireland should reduce its road transport emissions by the same method, Cap and Share. Using Cap and Share to control transport emissions 22 June 2007 (Powerpoint document, 750K). A PowerPoint presentation made to the 'Emissions trading and road transport sector' conference on 1 May at the Energy Institute in London. Similar presentations have been made to Comhar, the Irish National Sustainability Council and to the Senior Managers' Forum of the Irish Department of Transport. Envisioning a Sustainable Ireland from an Energy Availability Perspective 21 June 2007 (PDF document, 750K)
The team working on the Envisioning Ireland's Energy Futures project for the Irish Environmental Protection Agency has submitted this report. Feasta will hold a one-day seminar to discuss its conclusions when the EPA publishes it in the Autumn. The strongest conclusion is the need to move to a low-carbon economy as rapidly as possible, even if this slows down economic growth. The report also anticipates the development of rural biorefineries and the re-location to the countryside of energy-intensive manufacturing so as to be close to renewable energy sources. For a more detailed overview of this paper, please see the executive summary. Towards a sustainable transport system April 2007 (PDF document, 1.1 MB) This briefing paper was prepared by Richard Douthwaite, David Healy and Kevin Leyden to inform the proceedings of the Comhar Conference "Towards Sustainability in the National Development Plan 2007-2013" - 4th to 6th October 2006. The paper shows that the Irish transport system has developed over the past few years in a way which has made it less sustainable by becoming, on a per capita basis, more heavily dependent on one increasingly scarce non-renewable resource - oil - than perhaps any other system in Europe. This dependency has arisen largely because of the recent under-priced, uncontrolled growth in the use of the private car. After discussing the effects of this policy of encouraging heavy car-use, the report then turns to look at the policies and techniques that are available to rectify the situation. The Great Emissions Rights Give-Away March 2007 Emissions Rationing & the Oil Price Crisis March 2007
Why confusion exists over when the oil peak will occur January 5 2007 Submission of Evidence to the ERFA Committee's examination of international climate policy post-2012 January 5 2007 This submission was made to the UK Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee which is considering international climate policy post-2012. "There is an urgent need for climate action but the UNFCCC process is moving at a snail's pace. It has become a Gordian Knot of complexity. A simpler process could cut through the knot and lead to a climate treaty being achieved in a relatively short period." Response to the Green Paper: Towards a Sustainable Energy Future for Ireland January 3 2007 The Irish Government's Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources published its Energy Green Paper, a discussion document on the country's future energy supplies, on October 1st, and invited anyone interested to comment by December 1st. The Green Paper can be downloaded here in pdf format. The 98 comments the Department received have been posted on its website, here. Amazingly, the Green Paper ignored the near-certainty that global oil production will peak within the next 25 years. The only submissions which criticised the Department for this came from Feasta and from people associated with it or influenced by it. Individual Feasta members who made submissions were Cleland McVeigh, Michael Layden and Roger Adair who submitted as the Northwest Group, and Phoebe Bright who submitted as Vivid Logic. Oisin Coughlan, a member of the Feasta Climate Group, made a submission on behalf of Friends of the Earth, and Eamon Ryan, TD, submitted one for the Green Party. The Consumers' Association of Ireland submission calls for energy rationing, a result of our links with that organisation. (Please note that all these submissions are in PDF format). Below are links to Feasta's own submission: Press Release: Feasta's response to EU aviation proposals 20 December 2006 (PDF document, 76K) Background Briefing: Controlling the environmental impact of the transport sector 20 December 2006 (PDF document, 188K). Feasta issued these two documents in response to a proposal by the European Commission concerning emissions of greenhouse gases from aircraft. We believe that the Commission's proposal would distort competition between all forms of transport, hand windfall profits to airlines rather than citizens, and would fail to provide a model for the overall reform of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. We suggest an alternative approach which would involve placing a limit on emissions and other environmental damage from the entire transport sector. Individual Emissions Entitlements & Cap and Trade in California by Mike Sandler, November 2006 (PDF document, 712K). Learning from the European Trading System/ Important Decisions in a Future Cap and Trade System by Mike Sandler, November 2006 (PDF document, 172K). These two handouts were prepared by Feasta member Mike Sandler to bring to a meeting in Sacramento with California Environmental Protection Agency staff about learning from the European TradingSystem (ETS), and how California can create a cap and trade system whichprovides Individual Emissions Entitlements. The Economic Challenge of Sustainability by Richard Douthwaite and Emer Ó Siochrú, August 2006. This paper, which was written for CORI Justice, gives an overview of Feasta's ideas about economic growth, money systems, peak oil, and the need for a land value tax and for citizen carbon quotas. Slideshow on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme from the UNSCD meeting, by Nicola Creighton, May 2006 (Powerpoint document, 2.1 MB) This year was a 'review year' at the 14th session of the UN Commission for Sustainable Development in New York, but there was nonetheless an unstated core topic, both at the official and the side events: energy, with a recurrent focus on energy access for developing countries. FEASTA's focus at CSD was on gaining support for a substantial review of the EU's deeply flawed Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Carbon trading was not on the general agenda. There was, however, a Side Event on 5 May on the MDG carbon facility, presented by the UNDP, and one on carbon capture and sequestration, by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Nicola Creighton presented FEASTA's critique of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme to a small but broadly sympathetic audience. You can download the powerpoint presentation that she used here (2.1MB). Among NGO representatives Nicola met, there was some support for FEASTA's ideas for a reform of ETS but also much resistance for many different reasons. You can read a more detailed account atwww.euemissions.com Submission to the UK All-Party Committee on Climate Change April 2006 "A cross-party consensus on climate change is possible provided the parties agree to work from the same point of departure. A consensus is also highly desirable because of the radical steps that will have to be taken to respond adequately to the seriousness of the problem. " Why Nuclear Power Cannot Be A Major Energy Source by David Fleming, April 2006 Nuclear power promises much. It is based on a process which does not produce carbon dioxide. It is produced in a relatively small number of very large plants, so that it fits easily onto the national grid. And there is even the theoretical prospect of it being able to breed its own fuel. So, what's the problem? This document, written by David Fleming, was published by Feasta in collaboration with the New Economics Foundation. Note added November 2007: This article is now out-of-date and has been removed. You can read an updated version on David Fleming's Lean Economy website. An audio recording of a presentation by David Fleming that was based on the Briefing above, given on April 19th, can be downloaded from these links: Submission to Sir Nicholas Stern: Eliminating the Need for Economic Growth March 2006 In October, the British Government announced that Sir Nicholas Stern, the head of its Economic Service, had also been appointed its Adviser on the economics of "climate change and development". Sir Nicholas immediately asked for submissions on, amongst other things, "The implications for energy demand and emissions of the prospects for economic growth over the coming decades." These submissions had to be in by December 9th. Feasta's submission sets out many of Feasta's ideas about why rich-country growth needs to be stopped and how this can be done. The full terms of reference for submissions can be found on the British Government website here. Radical overhaul of emissions allocation required by Richard Douthwaite, November 2005 An opinion piece by Feasta's Richard Douthwaite was recently published in the Irish Times and can be read here. "As the Montreal conference on global warming opens, we cannot hope for progress on climate change unless the approach to negotiations is drastically revised." It is also available in a Spanish translation on the Crisis Energética website. Submission to the Department of the Environment November 2005. "Reforming the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in the light of experience during the pilot phase." Feasta suggests that Ireland should adopt an energy rationing system to help the country meet its Kyoto emissions target. South Africa & the Oil Price Crisis October 2005.
The ENLIVEN Report October 2005. The ENLIVEN project was undertaken by a partnership which was headed by Irish Rural Link, with Feasta as one of the contributors. The project takes two small neighbouring communities in rural Ireland, chosen only because largish housing and other construction projects were being planned, and assesses their renewable energy potential. It then looks at how that potential can be realised in ways that would benefit everyone living in the communities at present and those who might move there in the future. The project's report is now available for download here. How will we heat our homes when gas gets scarce? by Richard Douthwaite, 2005 An article which originally appeared in Construct magazine. In the fairly near future, the only energy sources that we can be sure that Irish people will be able to afford to use will be those that they own and operate themselves.
This paper summarises many of Feasta's ideas about climate change, energy use and monetary policy. "Crises create opportunities. Global crises require global action. Systemic crises require systemic remedies."
Green taxes: The German experience by Hans Diefenbacher, Volker Teichert and Stefan Wilhelmy. The Irish Government has dropped plans to achieve a major reduction in the country's greenhouse gas emissions by introducing an ecotax on the carbon content of fossil fuels. In Germany, similar taxes created over 60,000 new jobs but reduced CO2 emissions by less than 1% in the first two years. Panel: Quotas as an alternative to carbon taxation Feasta believes that green taxes should only be used for making minor adjustments to, say, the use of plastic bags or traffic flows. Where it is imperative that limits be observed, quotas are much better. Book review: I've seen the future and it's powered by the sun Eamon Ryan reviews The Solar Economy by Herman Scheer Book review: Few reasons to be cheerful, thanks to declining supplies of oil Michael Layden reviews The Party's Over by Richard Heinburg
A publication of the Renewable Energy Partnership. Ireland has one of the most promising, untapped energy resources to be found anywhere in Europe - wind energy. Part One of this booklet identifies the challenges facing wind developers in Ireland and suggests methods for addressing them. Part Two is a step-by-step guide to setting up a wind farm in Ireland. Climate Pledge Campaign June 2004
This report by Feasta and Friends of the Irish Environment to Comhar, the national Sustainable Development Partnership, identifies state policies, aids and subsidies which encourage greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use, and makes recommendations for altering or removing them. Feasta's submission to Mayo County Council on the Corrib Gas application, January 2004 Before the Wells Run Dry: Ireland's Transition to Renewable Energy, November 2003. Whenever it occurs, the decline in oil and gas output will be a turning point in human history since the use of increasing amounts of fossil energy has been the basis of globalization and rapid economic growth. The thirty energy experts who contribute to this book discuss when the turning point will actually happen and whether other energy sources can be developed in time to avert a disastrous energy shortage. They conclude that a switch to renewables could be made within fifty years if the right decisions are taken immediately. The book can be ordered online from Green Books and can also be read online in its entirety. Domestic Tradable Quotas as an alternative to Carbon Taxation October 2003. A submission by Feasta to the Department of Finance. While Feasta welcomes the government's intention to act to use market mechanisms to reduce Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions, it believes that Domestic Tradable Quotas (DTQs) are likely to be a more effective mechanism than the Carbon Tax arrangements envisaged. Oil, Currency and the War on Iraq by Cóilín Nunan, 2003 The third annual Feasta lecture: THE LEAN ECONOMY: A vision of civility for a world in troubleby David Fleming, 2001.
Chapter Five: Energy makes the world go round The provision of an adequate supply of energy from local resources is fundamental to greater self-reliance. Fortunately, most communities are able to develop such supplies.
The imminent peak of global oil production by Colin Campbell Colin Campbell presents evidence for his belief that humanity has already burned around half of its total endowment of oil. The result, he says, is that from now on, our most convenient form of energy will become increasingly scarce and expensive. Panel: Oil Scarcity No Problem, says CIA After oil by David Fleming David Fleming asks why governments have failed to plan for the looming oil shortage and the massive changes to the structure of the economy and society it will bring. Bye-bye Irish energy pie by Kevin Healion Kevin Healion examines Ireland's current energy consumption pattern and concludes that it will have to change radically in the next few years. Unfortunately, he says, government policies have almost completely failed to take this into account. Outdated thinking slows Ireland's progress towards energy sustainability by Michael Layden Michael Layden says that the Irish policy is stuck in the 1980s when oil shortages and global warming weren't seen as problems and the only thing that mattered was price. Not only is Ireland less sustainable as a result, but commercial opportunities are being missed. Designing an economy withbuilt-in sustainability by Lothar Mayar Lothar Mayar tries to establish the desigh principles of an economy with built-in sustainability. The money supply has to be linked to energy use, he says, and this could be achieved by monetarising carbon dioxide emissions rights. Panel: Carbon Dioxide Rationing Proposals Already Well Worked Out Panel:How The CO2 Economy Would Work In Practice What next for slowing climate change? Panel: World Climate Liable To Sudden, Rapid Change Panel: Proposed World Currency System Dr. Colin Campbell: Lecture on Peak Oil production (link to file off-site) View video Read transcript of the lecture ENERGY AND CLIMATE EVENTS Climate Forum - Presentations by six Feasta members
'Sustainable Economics and the Global Ecosystem'
- Emer O'Siochru and David Korowicz
Capping Carbon! (Post Carbon Toronto Meetup) - presentation by Bruce Darrell of Feasta
'Combating Climate Change As An Individual' - NUI Maynooth Talk with Cap and Share
Climate Change: First the bad news, then the good - the Will Howard Memorial Lecture
Cap and Share Presentation - Cap and Share Ireland with the Trinity College Young Greens
Convergence 13: Post Carbon Cities, Transition Towns and Eco-Villages
Ideas to Meet the Carbon Challenge - 'Bio Char' (part of the Convergence Symposium) - Bruce Darrell
National Frameworks to Underpin Carbon Reduction (part of the Convergence Symposium) -
Oisín Coghlan, David Korowicz and Tim Helweg Larson
Positive Energy - Creative Community Responses to Peak Oil and Climate Change - Findhorn Foundation Easter Conference
Public Meeting: How thinking about the climate crisis needs to change
- chaired by Emer O'Siochru
Feasta Energy and Climate Group - Strategy Meeting
Feasta Energy and Climate Group - 2nd Annual Meeting "Living Within a Carbon Budget" - Dr Alice Bows of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester "Peak Oil and Climate Change: What is to be Done?" - Richard Douthwaite Life After Oil - Breaking the Habit - David Fleming, Ron Oxburgh, Michael Meacher and Richard Heinberg The Economic Implications of Climate Change and Peak Oil - Oisin Coghlan and Gerard O'Neil Peak Oil: Business Threats and Opportunities- conference held by ASPO Peak Opportunity - Food, Energy and Community - talk by Graham Strauts "What Lies Ahead - How will we heat our Homes and Businesses in an Uncertain Energy Future" - seminar organised by Rathcline Sustainable Projects Group Convergence - 11th Sustainable Living Festival - "Learning to Live with Less Fossil Fuel" Roundtable Seminar on Climate Change and Development - organised by Kimmage Development Studies Centre and Friends of the Earth Lean Energy: A Grand Strategy for the Future of Energy - talk by David Fleming The Global Energy Picture - Public Seminar Ireland in the Second Half of the Age of Oil - talk by Dr. Colin Campbell UN climate conference - Annie Segrue (representing Feasta) A new Feasta document was produced for the conference, Energy Rationing & the Oil Price Crisis, which examines a way in which the poor in many countries could be protected if, as oil and gas get scarcer, their cost goes higher and higher over the years ahead. Sustainable Energy in Irish Transport Seminar - Roger Levett and Dr Kevin Leyden Conference - Energy Prices and Ireland's Future Conference: Food security in an energy-scarce world The Irish Renewable Energy Summit 2004 Conference: Debt, Climate and Global Justice FEASTA Presentation - Before The Wells Run Dry- Richard Douthwaite and Michael Layden Lecture: "Building a Sustainable Economy with Renewable Energy" - Dr Hermann Scheer Conference: 'Ireland's Transition to Renewable Energy' Conference: 'Energy, Money and Growth' |
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