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THE SHORTAGE OF taxis in Dublin’s city centre at peak times on weekends has left revellers waiting sometimes hours for transport while others were forced to walk long distances to get home at the end of a night out.
According to the National Transport Authority, currently there 25,336 taxi driver licences, 18,849 of which are active.
An NTA survey this year found that 93% of licensed taxi drivers are now working, but only 29% work Friday and Saturday nights.
The Journal asked readers to share their experiences and received a high volume of responses, particularly from women – and their partners – who found themselves feeling unsafe at the end of a night with few options for getting home.
One woman, Holly, said she will no longer go out unless she’s driving – and not drinking – or she has a lift arranged, after a bad experience two months ago.
Friends of hers were visiting and they were at a bar in the city centre until 2am.
“I would say around 50 people were on the street in the freezing cold trying to flag down taxis or book via an app,” she said.
“After a number of failed attempts, we started to walk home. I flagged a passing taxi. My friends were quite drunk and I put them in a taxi and asked him to bring them to my address.
There wasn’t enough space for me so I had to walk home alone – my friends unfortunately didn’t understand I was left alone, but it was all a rush to get them home and get them out of the cold. I was very concerned about getting them home, I said I was fine to work away. I was cold and afraid and walked 25 minutes alone.
“Since then I have not gone out without knowing how I was getting home. My boyfriend, who goes home to Clare on weekends, will now stay up in Dublin if I have something planned. Alternatively I will not drink and will drive home – anything to avoid that situation again.”
Another woman said she had to get a lift home from the manager of a hotel that hosted her birthday party after the taxi she booked through an app was cancelled.
Her friends, who all live close to one another, had already left in another taxi and she was by herself. Hotel staff tried to arrange another taxi for her, she said, but they had no success.
“It resulted in the hotel manager having to give me a lift home, which I was very iffy about doing because he was a stranger,” she said.
“I was going to buy a room in the hotel that night but it was sold out, so I literally had no other option.”
One reader, Keith, said his girlfriend spent three hours recently trying to get a taxi.
“She walked from Fade Street, up O’Connell street to The Rotunda [hospital],” he said.
“Even then she had to ring her brother to collect her. I was at a wedding, terrified for her safety after the attacks on women from men in our country. The situation is a joke.”
Late night bus services
There are a small number of 24-hour bus routes in Dublin city, as well as 13 Nitelink services running every hour from midnight until 4am.
However readers who spoke to The Journal said buses are also busy late at night and are sometimes too full to take them. They also said the late-night routes do not cover some areas of the city and they can still face a long walk or a search for a taxi when they get off.
One woman, Rose, tried to get a 24-hour bus home with her boyfriend after a recent night out, but just missed one when they arrived at the stop. The next one, 30 minutes later, was full when it arrived so “just zoomed past us”, she said.
“We said we weren’t going to wait another 30 minutes for the same thing to happen, at this stage the crowd at the bus stop was looking like we’d almost fill a bus ourselves by the time one showed up,” she said. “I’m disabled but I don’t look it, so there was no chance of a guaranteed seat which I would need if we got onto the bus.”
Rose has myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a chronic illness that is worsened by physical exertion. She said she has to budget her energy to allow for evenings out with friends and had done so in this case, but she could not have managed a walk home.
They had started off at Ormond Quay, walked to College Green and eventually when they reached Parnell Square they managed to flag a taxi, an hour and a half after they started looking for one.
“I hadn’t accounted for not being able to get home and I’m still exhausted two days later,” she said.
Dublin Bus told The Journal it has experienced an increased demand for late night services on its 24-hour routes in recent weeks. It said it has been providing additional services where possible.
The NTA has committed to providing additional bus services that operate on a 24/7 basis – the Route N4 from Blanchardstown to The Point commenced on 29 May and two further routes will follow this year.
Rejection based on destination
Some readers who got in touch said they did manage to hail down taxis, but when they stopped their refused to accept the fare, either because of the destination, or because they wanted to pay by card, rather than cash.
“I’ve had experiences on two consecutive weekends when taxi drivers stopped to ask where we were going – the answer was Rathgar both times – and they just drove off without accepting the fare,” Steven Dunne told The Journal.
“At least the first guy had the decency to say no. The second guy just sped off. Over the same timeframe I’ve had numerous taxis just pass me by with their lights on. For me it’s not so much the lack of taxis, just their unwillingness to stop or take mid-range fares.”
Another reader, Daniel, said after a recent night out three taxis with their plates lit stopped for him, asked where he was going and drove off when he told them his destination.
“I’m pretty much done with going into town for nights out until it’s clear getting transport home is better,” he said.
One man said his wife had a similar experience – when she told the driver she was going to Knocklyon he rolled up the window and “drove off without saying a word”, he said.
She waited almost an hour for a taxi home.
“Luckily she had a friend who waited with her or I would have had to take our baby out of her cot to collect her,” he said.
‘This can’t be a shock’
David McGuinness, chairperson of the taxi driver representative organisation Tiomanai Tacsai Na HEireann (TTnH), told The Journal that the industry lost many drivers during the pandemic as demonstrated by the 6,487 inactive drivers recorded by the NTA.
“Representative groups throughout the pandemic pointed out at every meeting that we’d need to have an industry when the pandemic finished, so this can’t be a shock for the government,” he said.
“It’s extremely busy at peak hours, I think off-peak we haven’t got back to pre-pandemic levels yet. I think people are still reluctant to use buses, it’s really busy on Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 9pm when people are starting to go out, I think people feel safer in their own company in a taxi.”
He said it is clear that drivers are less likely to use taxi apps during busy periods because of the 15% fee they have to pay through an app.
“When it’s 1am or 2am and it’s busy like that you’re just more likely to pick up from the street, if the apps reduced their fees during those hours it might make a difference,” he said.
McGuinness said there are a number of measures the government should look at including an expansion of late night public transport options, later opening times for nightclubs and a premium rate for taxi drivers during those peak times to encourage those who normally stay home on Friday and Saturday nights to work.
This kind of incentive could encourage drivers who have left the industry to return, he said.
He also said the government could consider restricting the service during those hours to ranks so there are centralised spots for people to get taxis. Taxis would not be allowed to pick up customers in the city centre other than at these ranks. McGuinness said this rule had worked well in other countries.
When asked about examples of drivers turning down fares due to their destination, McGuinness said it was “a disgrace” and encouraged customers to report this activity to the NTA.
“This shouldn’t be happening and drivers who do that should face penalties,” he said. “It should be flagged because it’s not the way the majority of drivers operate.”
Review of maximum fares
In response to a number of queries from The Journal, the Department of Transport said the NTA is engaging in a consultation process with the industry as part of its review of the current Maximum Fares Order.
“The review process involves a detailed examination of all of the costs involved in providing these services, including fuel and vehicle costs, and all SPSV [taxi] operators were encouraged to take part in the consultation process which closed on 27 May 2022,” it said.
The draft Maximum Fares Order 2022 proposed average increases in taxi fares of 12.5%. The department said this would provide for a premium time fare for certain hours and shorter journeys.
“It should be noted that 57% of the hours in the week occur at Premium Time (20.00 to 08.00, Sundays and Bank Holidays),” it said.
“This is the period, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights, when there are the most complaints about the unavailability of taxis.”
Supports introduced during the pandemic included an increase in the maximum vehicle age and a measure to allow licence holders to be inactive for 24 months so they could remain attached to the industry with no associated costs. The department said it is hoped that a significant proportion of these licences will return now that demand is increasing.
The NTA is also providing grants, it said, for the provision and conversion of vehicles to ensure they are wheelchair accessible, which is a requirement for new entrants into the industry. Grants are also provided to convert the fleet to lower emission and zero emission vehicles.
The department said the Advisory Committee on Small Public Service Vehicles continues to meet on a monthly basis and that the NTA, which is the independent regulator of the sector, “has been in constant contact with operators, drivers and representatives throughout the pandemic via email, text messages and phone calls”.
“Given the independence of the NTA, it would be not be appropriate to engage with the Minister for Transport on these issues,” the department said.
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Earth’s atmosphere is composed of about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, and 0.1 percent other gases. Trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and neon are some of the other gases that make up the remaining 0.1 percent.
Of the 0.1%, what is our contribution to it compared to China or India or the US?
We seem to be crashing our economy, being asked to completely changing our lifestyle and turning farmers into public enemy number 1 for what exactly?
@Verners Tess: To save humanity u cl0wn
@Paul Owens: As I am a clown, can you please expand on your answer about saving humanity please? Thanks
@Paul Owens: to save humanity, jesus will you get out from under your bed, you are the clo wn here,
@Paul Owens: From William Nordhaus, the 2018 Nobel prize winner.
In a January 2020 interview with Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Nordhaus claimed that achieving the 2°C goal of the Paris agreement was “impossible”, stating that “even if we make the fastest possible turn towards zero emissions, CO2 will continue to accumulate in the atmosphere, because we cannot simply shut down our economy”. He also remarked that the two-degree target was set without reference to the costs of meeting the target.
@Verners Tess: thats why we have to remove carbon from the atmosphere at an enormous rate as well as reduce our carbon output to near zero. It’s a huge task but either we do this or we very likely will end up killing everything on the planet.
@Verners Tess: ah ok, well let’s give up and let humanity destroy itself so. Because someone said we shouldn’t bother.
The EU is one of the largest global emitters, which is why we COLLECTIVELY have decided that member states (of which we’re one of the worst culprits) should reduce emissions. Yet, some still present the argument that we should freeload off the back of others that carry the burden. I might give up my job right now and start living off the dole. Your types clearly have no problem with that and what difference will it make?
@Urban Living Dublin: Can you clarify what are my types? Thanks
@Verners Tess: freeloaders
@Urban Living Dublin: Expand please?
@Verners Tess: If we all took the same attitude to voting, where would we be????. Every vote counts and every small contribution to the collective effort to fight this climate disaster counts. Someone has to take the initiative and lead by example… We have no other choice!!!! Do we want to be part of the solution or as I heard someone say yesterday… Part of the Pollution.
@Urban Living Dublin: You need to calm lad as you are starting into unhinged territory (lately) as your tweets are becoming panicked and reactionary. Yes we need to do more but with that said the government has been dragging its feet as it’s a calamity. In my humble opinion this just may become the death nail I sincerely hope it gets. The Greens to be honest are the only ones with a plan and if Polls are to be believed SF need to recognize that. Respectfully.
@Jerriko17: I own a plug in hybrid car, work outside where I don’t use any electrical or fossil fuelled powered equipment, cycle most places locally. Thanks
@Verners Tess: sure. you seem to suggest in your original post that because our contribution to global emissions is relatively small, any effort we make to reduce them will have minimal effect, implying that we shouldn’t bother making those changes. This not only violates the agreements we signed up to but also forces other countries to carry out water. It’s an attitude that is little different than someone deciding they should sponge off the and not bother to look for work when they can because “what difference would it make anyway”. In most people’s books this would be considered freeloading.
@Urban Living Dublin: I own a plug in hybrid car, have 1 child, work outside where I don’t use any electrical or fossil fuelled powered equipment, cycle most places locally. I also run a lot. If your carbon footprint is lower than mine, well done.
I know what your types are….arrogant, pretentious snobs assuming you are better than the rest of us.
@Verners Tess: bar the car and child, our lifestyles may not be that different.
It has little to do with arrogance or snobbery (as a Dublin north inner city resident I’m not sure I’d survive as a snob). What baffles me is how often the me fein argument is thrown whenever it is suggested we should do something about our carbon emissions, which on a per capita basis are some of the highest in the world. Call it entitlement or Irish exceptionalism or whatever, but it is easy to see what the global consequences will be if all countries took a similar attitude.
@Paul Owens: And what saved humanity the last time it happened.???
@Verners Tess: why????
@Verners Tess: u will be shutting down your economy if planet earth decides,,not humans,,,u need to think way outside the box my friend,,a colleague of mine who was a very esteemed scientist told me this over breakfast 25 years ago who has now passed.You need to listen to the scientists and nobody else.
@Darren Murphy: Not the brightest my friend,,
@Verners Tess: There are people in the world who are better and a lot brighter than you,,they are the inventers,the ones who allow you to live the life u live,the cars u drive ,the planes u fly in and the phone u are using,,,u didn’t invent them not accept it and cop on
@Matthew Donoghue: Not everything, this planet will thrive again once the human race is gone.
@Verners Tess: We’ve known about Global Warming and The Greenhouse Effect is since 1896, when Savente Arrhenius first experimentally proved CO2 is a greenhouse gas (it traps the heat of the Sun).
Arrhenius, S., 1896. XXXI. On the influence of carbonic acid in the air upon the temperature of the ground. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, 41(251), pp.237-276.
And warnings about humans burning fossil fuels causing global warming were published in newspaper articles as early as 1912:
“The furnaces of the world are now burning about 2,000,000,000 tons of coal a year. When this is burned, uniting with oxygen, it adds about 7,000,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere yearly. This tends to make the air a more effective blanket for the earth and to raise its temperature. The effect may be considerable in a few centuries.”
They were just wrong about the time line, they thought the effect wouldn’t happen so fast.
See: This week in 1912, a newspaper printed a spot-on warning about our warming world. We’re living in the future it predicted
So our research into the greenhouse effect and global warming is not a new science, it’s something we know a lot about though our knowledge increased in the 1960 after we first noticed the planet was indeed warming, as 1900s scientists foretold.
Since the start of the industrial revolution, the burning of fossil fuels added ca. 500 billion tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere, we’re adding another 35 billion tonnes per year.
These are facts, they aren’t up for debate.
On the other hand, Volcanoes only emit between 0.28 to 0.36 billion tonnes per year, 8-10% of what human activity releases, so no volcanoes aren’t responsible for the increasing CO2 levels.
We also can prove the increase in CO2 is ion the atmosphere is our fault from the Suess Effect, which is an alteration of the isotopic composition of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Carbon is found in three natural isotopes, atoms that differ in atomic mass, two are stable (not radioactive) and one is radioactive (created by cosmic radiation, space radiation, bombarding the upper atmosphere, generating radioactive Carbon-14 from nitrogen gas).
Critically, fossil fuels do not contain any radioactive Carbon-14 (half life of just over 5,500 years), they are millions of years ago, so all Carbon-14 decayed to zero.
As we burn fossil fuels, we dilute the atmosphere with fossil carbon dioxide, altering the stable and radioactive isotopes of carbon in the atmosphere… proving without a doubt that the rise in CO2 is from humans burning of fossil fuels.
See: The Suess Effect: Why is it important?
The 1.23 Celsius warming (see Berkeley Earth June update) in the last 120 years (0.8 Celsius warming happening since 1975) is due to CO2 we added to the atmosphere, as proven by the exact match between rising CO2 levels and the Earth’s temperature that we measure:
http://berkeleyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/annual-with-forcing-small.png
… they only thing that temporarily *slows down this trend* are occasional volcanic eruptions.
(by the way, a ca. 1.25 Celsius rise in the average global temperature is a big deal, the difference between today’s fine weather and Ireland sitting under 2 km of ice at the peak of the last ice age, was a global average cooling of just 6.5 Celsius. The climate is very sensitive to temperature change).
And if its ***not CO2*** what ***natural cycle*** is responsible instead?
What natural cycle has resulted in the global average temperature of the Earth to climb to the highest its ever been in the last 130,000 years?
See: The last time Earth was this hot hippos lived in Britain that’s 130,000 years ago
Volcanic eruptions, as I just pointed out, cool the Earth rather than warm it.
The volcanic dust and especially sulfur dioxide lifted high into the atmosphere reflects the Sun’s heat out to space and temporarily slow the observed global warming. It’s not volcanoes.
It’s not the Sun either, the Sun has not gotten any brighter…
“One of the “smoking guns” that tells us the Sun is not causing global warming comes from looking at the amount of solar energy that hits the top of the atmosphere. Since 1978, scientists have been tracking this using sensors on satellites, which tell us that there has been no upward trend in the amount of solar energy reaching our planet.”
See: Is the Sun causing global warming? NASA
And the orbit of the Earth isn’t the reason either (Milankovitch cycle). The changes in the Earth’s orbit and axial tilt are far too slow, they take place over 10s and 100s of thousands years, geological time. The Milankovitch cycles cannot explain the sudden warming observed the last 100 years or so.
In fact, according to the Milankovitch Cycle, we should be very slowly cooling.
See: Fact Check-NASA did not announce that climate change is only driven by variations to Earth’s orbital position relative to the sun
And it’s not ocean currents either, the Pacific Multidecadal Oscillation and the Altanic variability in ocean currents aren’t causing the observed warming. They may have slowed warming a bit during the mid-20th century, but that’s about it.
See figure 5 in the following paper (it shows that ocean currents cannot explain the warming):
Stolpe, M.B., Medhaug, I. and Knutti, R., 2017. Contribution of Atlantic and Pacific multidecadal variability to twentieth-century temperature changes. Journal of Climate, 30(16), pp.6279-6295.
The cause of rising temperatures is rising CO2, a proven greenhouse gas, that we added to the atmosphere, 500 billion tonnes and climbing. Human burning fossil fuels are the cause of global warming and climate change.
@David Jordan: cue somone saying too long, boring, didn’t read, and getting up voted.
@David Jordan: No read a lot of it and it’s v impressive, well done
A Party Political Broadcast on behalf of The Green Party.
@Urban Living Dublin: I’m probably not the brightest but at least I don’t engage in personal insults
@John Fahy: Fair enough, I apologise, but you have to admit that that comment was pretty inane.
@John Fahy: Sorry John that guy David Jordan way too bright for the likes of u, period
Irelands carbon emissions is approximately 0.001% of the global total. If we never lit a fire, milked a cow, built a house or drove a car ever again. It wouldn’t make a blind bit of difference to reducing the global carbon figures. Mr. Ryan is a maniac intent on destroying our country for 0.001%
@Michael Clair: firstly, it’s 0.1%, so congrats with being two orders of magnitude off the mark. Secondly, what part of “ it will spell trouble for Ireland’s ability to meet its legal, international climate responsibilities under the Paris Agreement” are you failing to understand?
@Urban Living Dublin: do you think for one minute that those international responsibilities will apply to China, North Korea, Russia, Argentina, Brazil and many many others?? We can impoverish ourselves to the “acceptable” levels the Eamon Ryan wants and the problem will still be there
@Dave Phelan: I love how people just blurt out list of countries (usually all of which have lower per capita emissions than Ireland) that they think are doing nothing about their own emissions.
Let me ask, on the international stage, do you think doing nothing about our own emissions will make it easier or harder to hold lagging countries’ feet to the fire?
@Urban Living Dublin: how innocent are you really? I can see China trembling at the thought of Ireland “ holding their feet to the fire” rural Ireland will be in chaos if Ryan gets his way, but then you are an urbanite and cannot understand that transport and lack of proper bus, rail, fuel, and services all impact on those producing the food for the nation. In your simplified view of urban living you cannot grasp the problems of rural Ireland and the impact on our economy ( eventually your pocket too)
@Dave Phelan: FDI and GDP only seems to benefit the Urbanite. They will have no problem using carbon credits from low intensive farms in the west of Ireland that have 100s of hectare of Sphagum rich bogland and gifting them to Big tech companies to offset their energy usage from data centres, and this creates jobs in the cities and benefits this person at the detriment to the people in rural Ireland
@Dave Phelan: thankfully we are part of a power block in which we do have influence, which in turn has global influence: the EU.
You think our EU partners look kindly on us as climate laggards? And you think this won’t have any effect on our standing within the EU?
I’m not going to bother with your rural vs urban nonsense, it’s just such a tired discussion.
@Urban Living Dublin: I’m so sorry to have bothered you ! I understand you are tired of hearing about rural life and the realities that your proposals will inflict on rural dwellers.
@Urban Living Dublin: I’d say the EU are slightly more concerned about the war in Ukraine to be honest. We get a few days of hot weather every summer and people lose their minds about global warming.
As for the urban rural divide, you can tell you’ve never set foot out of the North Inner City with your attitude. Thank god the Greens will be wiped out at the next election, they certainly won’t be missed!
@Dave Phelan: Nothing to do with urban or rural. We all have to pay for heat, light, transport, rent etc. One big difference is that the agricultural sector is massively subsidised…. No farmer could survive without it so it may be difficult but those subsidies should be used in the best possible way to support the farmers and at the same time not damage the environment. It may take a huge shift in mindset but some of our more progressive farmers are embracing it… It’s the only way forward.
@Jerriko17: We have the most carbon efficient beef and dairy sector in the world, so less of this “not damage the environment” nonsense.
@Jerriko17: you simply have not got a clue of the realities of rural living. Did you know that my standing charge for electricity is higher than urban users. I had to pay €600 just to get connected also. Taxes have gone up on home heating oil and bottled gas? I cannot access natural gas . I need a car as there is no public transport. You do realise that milk does not just appear in supermarkets? You are more dependent on the rural economy than you seem to understand
@Michael Clair: 186 people agree with you. I find that shocking. Every country in the world is making the same point as you and just like the Celtic Tiger debts, we pass them on to our children and children’s children. Does any one of those 186 people have children, to care enough about what future lies ahead for them. Thanks to us. Look at France and Spain and Portugal and the U.K. just yesterday. Every countries contribution matters and when you delve into the figures, you will see why. Currently countries are fined, which in my very humble opinion is a joke. When that is found not to be working, severe trade restrictions will probably be imposed and what we have now will be luxury in comparison. Targets are set for a reason and if each country complies then we are on the right road, if not then others will suffer because of our attitude towards our children’s future. I thought that was obvious but obviously it isn’t. Finally, if our imports are increasing, which they are, then the country of ‘manufacture’ are ‘ credited’ with the carbon emissions Obvious ??? So the 0.001% figure is a fairytale, just like Cowan and Mcconolgues methane emissions.
@Urban Living Dublin: No, it’s 0.001% check it out. The 0.1% was Green Party spin
@Urban Living Dublin: my my, dare anyone express a contrary opinion. Your arrogance and sarcasm is unbelievable. Btw it is 0.001% the Greens in their wisdom rounded it down to 0.1% to suit their agenda.
@Dave Phelan: I live in a rural area, something I CHOOSE to do. You chose to live where it costs 600eu to connect your electricity to your house that would be probably twice the price in an urban area!!! Move to the city if you think they’re getting a better deal !!! Mr Putin is responsible for the rise in price of your heating oil and bottled gas BTW NOT taxes !!!! Also… Most of the milk produced in Ireland is not consumed here!!!! Farmers can still make a living if they embrace change…. Subsidising them to produce stuff that’s damaging the planet is bonkers… Subsidise them to produce stuff that doesn’t, the money is there for it!!! Wrt dependency, farming wouldn’t exist without subsidies the oul cheque in the post!!!
Eamon Ryan is on a excited mission given the current heatwave. Over 600 coal mines were opened in China and our out put is like a grain in the sand to that! He wants to cut the National herd by 30% yet the Argentinian beef industry is expanding! With the food poverty due to the Ukrainian war we have to look at expanding the food output here. Milk powder is urgently required now. Ryan needs to assess the world picture and stop trying to destroy our economy with his manic cuts
We really do need to start getting on top of this. I think as a nation nobody takes Eamon Ryan seriously.
@Madra: it’s very hard to take someone who has a constant smirk on their face seriously.
@Madra: large diesel cars paid less road tax than a Ford Fiesta thanks to the last green party’s attempt to save the planet.
@Madra: thankfully this is a whole-government agreement, and not just led by Ryan. FF, FG and the Greens may all have their own interests, but most politicians are not stupid enough to think that we should sit on our hands on this.
@C_O’S: Perpetual smirk.
@C_O’S:
The majority of the members of the Irish parliament are professional politicians, in the sense that otherwise they would not be given jobs minding mice at Crossroads.
Flann O’Brien.
It’s not Eamon Ryan they have a problem with, it’s anyone bearing unpalatable facts. Ignorance is bliss for industries that think money is more important than science.
Very simple question here: who and how is all this being measured? There is no conceivable way to accurately measure reductions in emissions across these sectors.
They want everyone to go electric and now electric is going to go up by 10%. How much does it cost to charge a car and heat a house? the cars besides the point because most people cant afford hybrids well i know i cant anyway
@Pauline Gallagher: a second hand hybrid is not much different in price to a second hand petrol or diesel. But the savings on fuel make them much more worth while, Well worth looking in to.
These will end up like most other government targets, missed repeatedly. If they can’t sort out the numerous other problems we have then they will fail on this too.
@Derek Lyster: All they have done is defined targets and I presume they made a few quid available here and there for someone to work with and that’s about it. There doesn’t seem to be a plan.
Even if one buys into the argument that reducing our emissions is pointless “bEcAuSE cHiNA”, the carbon reduction goals that Ireland has set out could also result in more energy independence, less water, land and air pollution, improved public realm, increased biodiversity, the growth of new industry and exports and the creation of new jobs.
Change is never easy and there will be those that lose out, but opportunities exist.
@Urban Living Dublin: Can you answer me why myself and my father who part time farm a mixed beef and sheep low intensive farm in the west of Ireland cannot avail of carbon credits yet. We have been using tight grazing with sheep for clover incorporation into grazing awards for years to help save on chemical fertiliser, We planted large amount of hedge grows when we in the REPS scheme, and due to the private forestry and bogland we own that is rich in sphagum moss, we after 100% sequestering way more carbon than we are emitting.
Why shouldn’t we be allowed to gain an extra income by selling our excess carbon credits to intensive farmers. Our carbon credits should not be grabbed by our government and gifted to big industry in order to chase the golden GDP and FDI.
@Urban Living Dublin: Big corporations and governments want this, they want to pitt us all against each other. They turbary rights and bog was never about turf cutting its about carbon storage and access carbon credits so that FDI, data centres and big energy guzzling tech companies can keep expanding in Ireland whilst hitting their ESG goals as ‘great companies’ and allowing the like of Google to stay carbon neutral.
Carbon credits sequestered in the agri sector are to stay in the agri sector period.
Daft Modelling by Scientists
Consumer Pays Principle
Petrol, diesel, gas consumers pay the carbon tax, not Russia or Saudi,
Similarly the 45 million Europeans consumers who eat Irish steaks and yogurt, cheese and baby food from Irish Agriculture should be allocated the CO2 / Methane emissions from the Irish national herd.
On this basis Ireland has one of the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per capita. No need to cull the National herd. Some daft mis modelling going on.
… else let them eat cake!
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