Economic growth, population growth and climate change

Feb 14, 2013 5 Comments by
This newly-updated paper by David Knight presents abundant evidence that economic growth, rather than population growth, is the main determinant of increased fossil fuel emissions. Planned carbon and economic descent and a fairer distribution of income from the richest individuals and countries to the poorest would provide the quickest and most effective means of reducing emissions.
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Cap and Share: managing the share on a global level (from Sharing for Survival)

Feb 07, 2013 1 Comment by
In this article Caroline Whyte makes a case in favour of global per-capita allocations of funds from the share in Cap and Share: a sort of worldwide cash transfer programme. She draws on recent development theory, technological innovations and research on social and economic equity to bolster her argument.
Sharing for Survival chapters Read more

A New Age of Risk

Oct 02, 2012 No Comments by

Jim Hansen’s latest power point can be loaded directly from this URL (pdf document, 2.4 MB). It provides useful evidence that sea level rise is accelerating; net flux of heat into the sea; the arctic and Antarctic losing mass etc. His proposed programme for cutting carbon emissions, ‘fee and dividend’, has many similarities to the Feasta climate group’s Cap and Share programme. He advocates adopting a carbon tax rather than quotas, however.…

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Policy packages (from Sharing for Survival)

Sep 25, 2012 No Comments by
We need to cut carbon emissions, and soon. But Nick Bardsley reminds us that any mechanism that we introduce in order to cut them – such as Cap and Share – will have to be accompanied by a number of other measures or it will prove counterproductive. Topics covered in his paper include a proposed substitute for the much-criticised Clean Development Mechanism, the current displacement of food production by biofuels, the relationship between food and energy use, the required shift away from debt-based money and the need for a land value tax.
Sharing for Survival chapters Read more

Preface to Sharing for Survival

Jun 11, 2012 No Comments by
Brian Davey’s preface to our new book Sharing for Survival: Restoring the Climate, the Commons and Society describes climate change as a ‘wicked problem’, with no single, clear solution. The book therefore presents a patchwork-quilt-style diversity of responses to climate mitigation. Although the authors may differ in the specifics of what they suggest, they are united by their concern for effectiveness and equity.
Cap and Share Documents, Sharing for Survival chapters Read more

The nitrogen cycle and health

Apr 02, 2012 No Comments by
The nitrogen cycle is one of our human life-support systems, supporting human life and life on our planet. Our disruption of the nitrogen cycle is a public health issue of profound importance.
Commentary, Discussion Paper Read more

Cap & Share: simple is beautiful

Jul 22, 2011 No Comments by
In this week’s article from Fleeing Vesuvius, Laurence Matthews discusses Cap & Share: a fair, effective, cheap, empowering and simple way to reduce emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. It could form the basis of a wider global climate framework but how realistic is it to call for its introduction?
Cap and Share Documents, Fleeing Vesuvius chapters Read more

Turning the land from an emissions source to a carbon sink

Jul 13, 2011 No Comments
By Corinna Byrne, from Fleeing Vesuvius. Farming and other land-based activities could do a lot to mitigate global warming. Ireland needs new policies to get its land to absorb CO2 rather than release it. The large amounts of carbon locked up in the country’s peatlands must be safeguarded and damaged bogs restored so that they can sequester carbon again. In addition, the use of biochar could reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions and build up the fertility and carbon content of the soil.
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Greenhouse-gas emissions from energy use in the water sector

Jun 28, 2011 No Comments
The availability of fresh water and the energy use associated with it, particularly in agriculture, is not thought about much in Britain and Ireland. Nevertheless it is a major issue – as a recent paper by two academics at the University of East Anglia demonstrates.
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Proximity 2.0: Cutting transport costs and emissions through local integration

Jun 16, 2011 No Comments
In this chapter from Fleeing Vesuvius, Emer O’Siochru describes how different activities should be situated beside each other to be more energy and carbon efficient. This flies in the face of current development planning which tends to focus on bringing similar activities closer together to reap the benefits of scale and agglomeration.
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How are rising CO2 emissions linked to a rising world population?

Jun 06, 2011 4 Comments
Many discussions on sustainability rarely mention the world’s growing population and whether current or projected future levels are – or can be made – compatible with living within the limits set by the Earth’s regenerative capacity. David Knight’s paper shows that the growing population is not incompatible with lower levels of energy use, but that the rising levels of consumption in rich countries and “emerging” ones like Brazil, India and China certainly are.
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The costs and benefits of moving out of beef and into biofuel

May 20, 2011 1 Comment
Most beef farmers in Ireland are losing money. In view of this, some policymakers and commentators think that it would be in the national interest to encourage a lot of them to give up their loss-making hobby and to switch to growing biofuels instead. The Carbon Cycles and Sinks Network is preparing a report which explores this idea and draws some unexpected conclusions, and comments are very welcome.
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Building a greenhouse gas emissions reduction and sinks development programme into the CAP

May 09, 2011 No Comments

This submission was made by the Carbon Cycles and Sinks Network. It describes a possible framework for a Rural Environmental Protection-type framework which would reward farmers for practices that were likely to lead to their reducing their GHG emissions and also increasing the carbon content of their soils and the biomass growing on them. It suggests that best farming practice is re-assessed in the light of its climate effects and sequestration potential and re-defined if necessary. Farm payments would be made conditional on the adoption of these new best practice standards. No attempt would be made to pay farmers for …

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Feasta funding appeal

If you’ve visited this website before you will probably have noticed our funding appeals. It’s likely that you skimmed over these – perfectly understandably as there are so many organisations asking for money these days. However, if you’re reading this it’s probably because you’re interested in and value the work we do. If so you will be interested to know how it is that we are able do what we do. Read more