Kevin O’Sullivan

Why ‘no additional warming’ is a dangerous climate loophole Carbon budgets should be sent back to the climate council with clear instructions to reassess them against Paris commitments

The definitive verdict on ‘no additional warming’/GWP* courtesy of Prof Hannah Daly in The Irish Times ... “a dangerous climate loophole”

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Thousands of dolphins may be dying off west coast of Ireland every year, ‘and nothing is being done’ Undersea cameraman Ken O’Sullivan has spent 20 years among the charismatic mammals

The amazing story of Ireland’s dolphin population captured by Ken O’Sullivan over 20 years. The footage mstches the great David Attenborough at times … but ultimately it’s a story of vulnerability. Recommend viewing.

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

What does the summer of 2025 tell us about Europe's changing climate? Ireland is not immune from extreme weather already hitting Europe

The summer of 2025 brings some hard climate lessons … nowhere more so than in an overheating Europe.

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Revealed: Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025 long list Nominee places range from the shadows of Croagh Patrick to a once derelict dump site in Dublin’s Liberties

Revealed: Ireland’s Greenest Places 2025 long list: “Taking action gives you hope and calms anxiety by showing we can turn things around.”

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

World on verge of ratifying key treaty to protect oceans Failure to significantly scale up protection of oceans from deep sea mining and sea beds from 'bottom trawling' was widely criticised

More positives than negatives emerge from UNOC3 … but will Sir David Atennborough be happy? Probably not; political declaration is too weak, especially on destructive bottom trawling.

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Robert Boyle summer school to explore the human brain and intersection with creativity 13th staging of event honouring founder of modern science with events in Waterford and Lismore

This year’s Robert Boyle Summer School will explore the human brain and intersection with creativity … a great opportunity to spend time in Waterford and Lismore, the home place of the great co-founder of modern science!

www.irishtimes.com/science/2025...

Ryanair quietly drops carbon offset option for passengers on its flights Carbon calculator for flight emissions also withdrawn as airline says ‘there was very little interest or uptake from passengers’

Despite the fanfare when it was first announced, Ryanair pulls plug on providing carbon offset option for its passengers… carbon calculator gone too! www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Video: Opinion | What Is the Defining Image of Trump’s First 100 Days? Opinion columnists share the piece of media that most defines the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second term.

Chilling encapsulated of 100 days of DT2
www.nytimes.com/video/opinio...

Biomethane should have been a no-brainer for Ireland. The road ahead is unclear Clean energy from farm and food wastes is a no-brainer but a new era of Irish biomethane is far from assured.

Biomethane should have been a no-brainer for Ireland. The road ahead is unclear

www.irishtimes.com/special-repo...

Pope Francis’s green legacy is his radical encyclical Laudato Si’ that upended centuries of Catholic teaching Published in 2015, Laudato Si’ spoke of our serious moral responsibility to protect the planet

Pope Francis’s green legacy is his radical encyclical Laudato Si’ that upended centuries of Catholic teaching… Ireland can be proud of its stamp on it

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Why international firm Corio withdrew from plans for Sceirde Rocks wind farm off Connemara’s coast Emerging technology, harsh marine conditions and cost pose challenges, but big offshore projects can be done, say experts

The bigger picture on why Corio Generation withdrew from Sceirde Rocks wind farm off Connemara’s coast ... and on the need to ensure remaining Phase 1 windfarms get across the line before 2030.

www.irishtimes.com/business/eco...

Urgent action needed to ‘clear fog’ and progress transition to clean energy The Nesc findings would be used to inform ongoing work of Government to deliver the transition

A damning assessment of how Ireland is progressing its transition to clean energy. Fortunately, NESC sets out what we need to do now, next and later … and overcome the strategic fog.
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Utah Becomes First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Water Medical experts warn the move could have consequences for oral health, especially among children.

Regrettably, the consequences of demoting science…https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/well/utah-fluoride-ban.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

NOAA axes monthly climate change briefings, blames staff cuts The agency was having trouble recruiting scientists to take part in the calls, Axios sources said.

Scoop: NOAA is suspending its long-running monthly media calls on climate stats and climate change, blaming lack of staff. Some other hints at why are in the story. The data, however, will still be released on schedule, NOAA says. www.axios.com/2025/03/13/n...

Trump’s Doonbeg hotel and golf course: Its problematic planning history explained Doonbeg’s ‘grey dunes’ and presence of endangered snail hampered original developer’s plans

Trump's hotel and golf course in Doonbeg has encountered multiple planning difficulties, but not in the way he describes them... and they come with a hard lesson for him on climate change.

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Concern Worldwide lays off almost 400 staff citing ‘aid funding cuts’ Positions at risk in organisation’s Dublin head office but numbers unclear due to ‘fluidity of the situation’

This is such a tragic development … Concern Worldwide lays off almost 400 staff citing ‘aid funding cuts’

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/soci...

Five ways to slash Ireland’s looming multi-billion euro climate fines Two advisory councils outline gross failures to face up to climate realities

With Ireland facing climate fines of up to €26 billion… what actions should be pursued to reduce such staggering penalties?

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

It’s hard to reconcile that a global leader in climate and weather science, including forecasting and modelling warming scenarios, is being broadsided like this.

Bird flu ‘could very well become the next pandemic’, says Irish virologist Department of Agriculture and public health specialists consider risk manageable as no other animal species infected here

With persistent bird flu, the longer effective collective action fails to kick in, the more opportunities there are to mutate and transmit among humans … a lesson that a certain Mr Trump needs to learn.
www.irishtimes.com/health/2025/...

Failure to submit emission targets to UN indication climate is not priority for Government, says Green Party leader Ireland will provide joint commitments with EU later this year, Department of Climate says

Too many governments are slow pedalling on decisive climate action. We can only hope
Irish Government is not falling back into that category.

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Widespread ecological damage from oil spills in Niger Delta revealed in international study Scientists detail scale of devastation to mangroves using satellite imagery, AI and imaging techniques used in healthcare settings

The scale of ecological damage from oil spills in Niger Delta revealed…including identification of unreported spills #bigoil #africa
www.irishtimes.com/world/africa...

Critical thinking training can reduce belief in conspiracy theories, study by UCC psychologists finds ‘Well-established programmes to counter conspiracy theories have little or no effect’

A great piece of research from UCC pertinent to the era of conspiracy notions that we live in … www.irishtimes.com/ireland/educ...

Storm Éowyn: Can Ireland’s electricity, water and phone networks cope with extreme weather? ‘We’re not resilient to today’s climate,‘ says expert as State and utility companies face greater pressure to prepare for stormier weather

Hard questions on resilience have to be asked in this era of increased climate disturbance … especially with power, water and telco utilities www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Trump’s blunderbuss strategies on climate and energy may backfire in ways he has not envisaged Pulling out of Paris Agreement was predictable theatre, but resulting temperature and emission rises will push Earth to dangerous tipping points

Trump will play havoc on energy with knock-on consequences for climate and a planet in a vulnerable state… BUT there are ways around this. Clean tech revolution can happen without him.

www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...

How We Make Progress Now Part 1: Some Limits We Need to Work Around

McKibben at his best! open.substack.com/pub/billmcki...

Escaped salmon a major threat to future wild fish due to genetic contamination, investigation finds With 20% of male escapees sexually mature and capable of breeding with wild Atlantic salmon, threat to wild stocks ‘is particularly concerning’

More evidence that Ireland needs to change where fish farms are located if it wants to save its wild Atlantic salmon stocks www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Cliff Taylor: Dundrum apartments decision a symptom of broken planning system If compact living is really the goal of national policy, then Ireland really needs to get a lot better at this. Our planning system rarely acts in the interests of renters

On the money analysis by Cliff Taylor of the broken Irish planning system.

www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...

How are those newspapers who have been attacking Ed Miliband for an appropriate level of response to the climate crisis now feeling, wringing their hands over the torching of Los Angeles?

Like massive hypocrites?

Sadly I suspect that kind of reflection is not part of their institutional DNA....

Young Scientist: ‘Laughter does help learning’ - primary pupils tackle big research questions Pop music boosts plant growth while laughter is a great learning aid, students at the Primary Science Fair at the RDS have found

Laughter wins out…at @BTYSTE Primary School Fair!
www.irishtimes.com/science/2025...

Young scientist exhibition: Students deploy innovative skills at frontier of renewable energy Solar and wind power feature creatively in a number of projects at the annual competition

A flavour of @BYSTE ingenuity on display this year at Dublin’s RDS

www.irishtimes.com/science/2025...