"Green" policies are destroying this country

Pa ElGrande

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120622733#Comment_120622733

It's an echo chamber, the European parliament provides tax payer funds to support these institutes along with tax-payer funded academia and the billionaire funded usual suspect NGOs (scroll down to Organising Partners & Supporting Partners): https://www.beyond-growth-2023.eu/about-beyond-growth/

Follow the links and go looking for the annual reports, partners and board members. If you thought K-Street in Washington DC was synonymous with lobbying, Lobbying is a major industry in Brussels and European MEPs can be just as corrupt, the smart ones know how to build up a network and work the system via consultancy.

The power of lobbyists is growing in Brussels and Berlin

That adds up to plenty of lobbyists’ boots on the ground, according to Transparency International (TI), a watchdog. In Brussels 25,000 lobbyists with a combined annual budget conservatively estimated at more than €3bn ($3.6bn) seek to influence EU policy. Approximately 7,500 of them are accredited with the European Parliament, which means they are regularly able to meet with parliamentarians. Berlin is now reckoned to host up to 7,000 lobbyists with over €1bn to throw around every year. source

Now consider this we don't get to see the backroom deals.

Besides the main programme, selected participants (upon invitation only) will co-create policy recommendations on topics related to current policy processes. These interactive policy labs are organised by our partner ZOE Institut and will take place in the European Economic and Social Committee.

The Labs will be chaired MEPs and experienced moderator with knowledge in co-creation processes. Chatham House rules apply to enable open and trustful discussions.

ZOE Institut leads to the Heinrich Böll Foundation i.e Alliance 90/The Greens.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120622733#Comment_120622733

They are hell bent on stifling all growth

It's possible to achieve growth and clean up the gaff at the same time

marno21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120623010#Comment_120623010

"Cleaning up the gaff" should involve wide deployment of renewable energy, electrifying heat and transport, addressing pollution, deploying new and innovative solutions for industry, bypassing towns, more public transport, active travel facilities etc.

People would be largely in favour of that, but they aren't in favour of "cleaning up the gaff" by taxing motorists.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120623084#Comment_120623084

Umm, motorists are already taxed so no idea what you are referring to

Furze99

Kinda depressing segment of vegetable growers in Ireland on yesterday Countrywide slot on RTE radio. Going by they were saying, the government give them very little support or appreciation. And giving up their enterprises one by one - a combination of smaller retailers closing and being squeezed with unfavourable terms by the big multiples. One lad was growing brussel sprouts and instancing the supermarkets selling nets of them for a few cent as loss leaders. You could hear and appreciate how gut wrenching and insulting it is to see the results of your hard labour being treated like this. Another mentioned how the dairy lads were helped out when they had a fodder shortage.

This isn't a case of Green policies destroying the country. It's a case of complete indifference by a government that includes the Irish Green Party. At the very least, we need to support and keep an Irish vegetable growing industry and we need to immediately ban below cost selling by the supermarkets. What's Pippa doing about it?

Jizique

Was interesting, presumably a big challenge with labour costs though - if consumers won't pay for it though...... Longer-term contracts also would be useful, not the short one year ones; the only way I see this change is to have a higher cost on imports to reflect their carbon footprint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120623503#Comment_120623503

Thats beginning to happen for imports. Its starting with high emission products e.g. steel, cement, fertilisers etc. The idea being that local producers do not end up being priced out of the market as they move to lower emission production. Also incentivises non-EU producers to reduce emissions themselves if they wish to remain competitive in the EU market

More info here

https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism_en

ps200306

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120623556#Comment_120623556

That's got nothing to do with adjustment for the carbon cost of shipping versus in situ production. The OP was talking about locally grown produce compared to imports. Yours is about importing from countries that don't have the millstone of carbon taxes around their necks.

charlie14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120622637#Comment_120622637

Mind boggling that someone posts.

"For you the bar at which its no longer a convenient option might be very high, for others it`s not high at all and for others that bar will never be reached. Different strokes for dofferent folks" where their next post is the old hackned "When you`re accustomed to privilege equality feels like oppression" An adage in one form or another that has been used by Mao, Stalin, and Pol Pot to justify disastrous policies.

There is no equality in green policy. The lower your disposable income the higher the green "bar" is.

Different strokes for different folks indeed !

ps200306

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120623010#Comment_120623010

It may well be possible. We've done it over the past 70 years when factory towns killed people in droves with smog and rivers ran with untreated effluent. The question is whether we can do it with the current rapid increases in green energy prices and increased consumption of energy commodities like copper and lithium. It may also not be possible. I don't like the idea of ideological loons like the Greens experiment with our food supply and energy infrastructure. They are just about the least qualified to take a sane approach.

PommieBast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120622658#Comment_120622658

I'm not so sure. They are rather Dublin-centric so a few regional policies might save a few of their seats.

DownByTheGarden

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120616800#Comment_120616800

The feedback seems to be that those who already take public transport to work thought it was great. Those who needed the car to get to/from work, drop kids off at school on the way, visit elderly parents on the way home, bring stuff/people places, were generally time poor - not so much.

I really dont see people going on trips where they have to stay a few hours or even a commute to work is going to work with a gocar. Thats going to be a very expensive trip.

What this initiative seems to have done where I work anyway, is show that everybody has different needs and most already are using the most effective transport as it is. Also that public transport in Ireland in in a dire state, unless you live and work and have no life off the fast public transport routes.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120625901#Comment_120625901

I really dont see people going on trips where they have to stay a few hours or even a commute to work is going to work with a gocar. Thats going to be a very expensive trip.

I don't know anyone who would think regular commuting using GoCar would be a smart choice. Thats pretty much the opposite of what I suggested

Also that public transport in Ireland in in a dire state, unless you live and work and have no life off the fast public transport routes.

More investment in PT and prioritization of it over cars, will always be very welcome.

Barryroe application refused

https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/energy-policy-was-not-the-reason-barryroe-offshore-permit-was-refused-environment-department/a653212855.html

Some important bits of news in relation to investments

First up, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) is to invest €68m in two international decarbonisation funds, as part of its €1bn five-year climate action programme. The move builds on approximately €500m of committed investments by ISIF in climate action as the body continues its €1bn investment programme in this sector.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/technology/arid-41144065.html

Followed by study which shows the shares of major fossil fuel producers see falls in value from climate litigation

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/22/big-polluters-share-prices-fall-climate-lawsuits-fossil-fuels-study

There's a load more climate lawsuits coming to the courts around the world as both NGO's and activist investors are challenging the major producers on their contributions to climate change. Lots more still to come on this

The reverse vending machines for empty plastics looks like it'll begin rolling out next Feb as the govt waived the planning requirements for these to be installed. We'll see out plastic recycling rates climb nicely as a result

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/green-light-for-vending-machines-that-give-cash-for-old-cans-and-bottles/a580938985.html

We're now starting to see how carbon charges are going to affect the airline industry. DAA are offering reduced charges for airlines who operate quieter and cleaner aircraft.

As fuel is one of the largest costs for airlines, as additional carbon charges are loaded onto those costs, we'll see airlines moving towards cleaner and more efficient aircraft and pushing manufacturers to develop cleaner aircraft too

Airlines such as Ryanair have already started to move towards aircraft that burn less fuel and are less noisy. The company is investing $22bn in 210 new Boeing 737-8200 ‘Gamechanger’ aircraft which burns 16% less fuel and produces 40% less noise than previous models.

Earlier this month, Ryanair placed a massive order with Boeing for further 300 new Boeing 737- MAX 10 aircraft which burn 20% less fuel and are 50% quieter than its Boeing 737-Next Generation Fleet.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/companies/arid-41142772.html

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626812#Comment_120626812

Ya see this is one (of many) things that really annoys me. You are a green supporter, wanting the world to be cleaner, greener and whatnot. All laudable. Yet here you are telling us that an airline, Irelands biggest polluter in fact, is spending billions on yet more aircraft to pollute even more, though maybe a bit less than now, as a good thing.

tom1ie

green spam alert!!! 🚨

charlie14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120622733#Comment_120622733

With the fiasco of energy security, the present political pushback, and especially the results of the recent Netherlands elections, Metsola as an elected MEP and President of the European Parliament would have her ear closer to the ground where other MEPs facing re-election next year are concerned than Von der Leyen.

Von der Leyen sitting up in the lofty heights as President of the Commission has never been elected as an MEP so does not share the concerns of MEPs seeking re-election. Concerns that will not have been eased by the recent hammering the left has suffered in Greek election.

Von der Leyen may be oblivious as to what the Greens policies on agriculture would result in for food security, but the EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski is not. He has stated on many occasions that his priority is not cutting back on food production, (as he did in Dublin on cattle numbers when the Irish Greens were frothing at the mouth looking to cull cattle), it`s food security. Similar to Metsola, with him having served on multiple occasions as an elected MEP, he will have an ear a lot closer to the ground on MEPs concerns on the issue than Von der Leyen.

If Von der Leyen joined in the rapturous applause for this Belgian Mark 2 Greta on capitalist degrowth, back in her German homeland coffee cups and jaws hitting the floor would have been the reaction rather than applause.

Young voters can be very very idealistic when supported by the bank of mum and dad, but when that funding is cut quickly become pragmatic. This latest wonder child seems well connected to the green funding teat, so pragmatism is not going to worry her. For those young voters looking to support themselves in the future the same can not be said for her alarmist degrowth agenda.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626921#Comment_120626921

If they are going to be running planes, yes they should be running the cleanest ones possible

Are they 100% emission free, nope, but those are not available yet. In time, when they are I've no doubt we'll see them switching to those too.

All airlines will be forced to by shareholders anyway as aviation emissions are set to be taxed a lot more

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/12/08/eu-to-charge-airlines-more-for-polluting-but-will-average-europeans-pay-the-price

Another way to look at it, I think its stupid how much folks drive (a massive % of trips in Ireland are under 2km) but if they must, then the cleaner option is EV's

antoinolachtnai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626921#Comment_120626921

Not really.

Firstly a lot of these new aircraft will just replace fleet that is already in place (both Ryanair’s fleet and fleets of other airlines displaced by Ryanair).

For intra-EU Flights, adding more planes (if that were to happen) would not result in more emissions. The reason is that there is an overall cap on emissions by industry and aviation. The cap is reduced every year.

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120627130#Comment_120627130

How does adding more planes not result in more emissions?

antoinolachtnai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120627214#Comment_120627214

It’s a really good question. It is counterintuitive.

Because there is an overall cap on on the number of emissions allowances for industry + electricity generation + aviation. If there is an increase in emissions by one polluter that means that then another polluter somewhere in the EU will have to reduce their emissions correspondingly. The overall cap is also reduced every year

Note: this is not the case for flights TO/from outside the EU. They are dealt with by another system which is not as strict.

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120627431#Comment_120627431

Sounds great, but can't see it happening, or what will happen is that aviation will expand as necessary to meet demand the onus will be pushed way down to those with shallow pockets to reqild/rewet/ban cars/etc. It's not everyone doing their bit

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626921#Comment_120626921

You have to think of it as a three card trick and the ordinary Seán and Sínead Citizen are the mugs every time.

Jizique

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626809#Comment_120626809

30 years late, been in other European countries for decades - same with returnable glass bottles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120627657#Comment_120627657

Better late than never

charlie14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626354#Comment_120626354

I notice that neither you, nor that article, after all the hand sitting by Ryan mentioned his latest B S reason for doing so.

Is that because after all your wholesale backing on all his utterances even you find it too shameful to do so ?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120628460#Comment_120628460

They didn't meet the basic requirements, not much more to say 🤷‍♂️

You'll note the same requirements apply for all entities looking to develop anything offshore, regardless of what it is.