Full coverage: Climate change

There is more to Sinn Féin’s climate policy than its opposition to the carbon tax or its non-commital stance on the emission cuts needed in agriculture, an in-depth discussion with Lynn Boylan and Darren O’Rourke reveals.

The latest edition of the Government’s climate plan marks a step change towards the decarbonisation of Ireland’s economy, but still lacks a clear narrative on expectations from business. Yet we can start to pull it together from threads in the hefty document’s various chapters.

While energy supply and interest rates fuel short-term uncertainty, what is certain is that damage to the ecosystem will destroy business in the long term. In her first column for The Currency, climate scientist Dr Tara Shine argues that the best response to current turmoil is to plan now for a more resilient future.

Thursday's announcement of most carbon ceilings for sectors of the Irish economy has clarified the direction of travel, but almost one quarter of the necessary emissions reductions remain to be found.

Like the NASA officials who learned from the Challenger space shuttle disaster, the leaders who set climate targets must deal in a world of reality. Listening to the current debate in Ireland, it seems they are not.

Having raised expectations with a sugar-coated Climate Action Plan last year, Eamon Ryan and Charlie McConalogue are faced with the hard reality of carbon budgeting figures. It could be make-or-break time for the coalition.

Last May, Laura Roddy published an in-depth article in The Currency explaining the controversy surrounding a proposed new cheese factory in Kilkenny. Today, she became the first ever recipient of the Climate Justice Reporting Award for this work.

Harold Hutchinson, Head of Equity Research at Investec, believes policymakers have taken a narrow approach to the climate crisis and that a more holistic approach is required. He also believes Ireland can play a major role in developing renewable technologies.

The Irish solar industry is woefully underdeveloped. The problem isn't a lack of sunlight, but a crushingly slow approval system involving An Bord Pleanála, EirGrid and the ESB.

The stubborn public perception that someone else will have to change their lifestyle to cut greenhouse gas emissions can give the impression that only innovation will solve the problem. The government's home retrofit scheme reaches into this gap.