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Fancy supporting this volunteer led podcast? You can do so by buying us a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/theclimatealarm. This support goes a long way to helping us with the upkeep of the podcast, and your comments and feedback provide a much appreciated boost to ongoing morale! Not in a position to throw us a few euros? Well then, feel free to simply drop us a line over on Bluesky.
In this week's episode, Darragh, Tom and Ciara dive into the week's biggest climate headlines:
Cyclone Chido devastates MayotteStorm Darragh causes widespread power outages across Ireland and closes Holyhead portWhat do the recent election results mean for climate action in Ireland?We also take a moment to reflect on 2024, sharing a frank and admittedly, slightly gushy discussion about the emotional toll of caring deeply about the climate crisis throughout the year. To wrap up the year, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the state of the world too so drop us a line!
Actions for This Week
SSE Airtricity Community Fund: Learn how this fund supports sustainable projects in your community. More details here.Plant trees through Hometree or Reforest Nation.Contribute to the Your Parks, Your Say public consultation and help shape the future of Ireland's national parks. Share your thoughts here.Discover The Good Life 2030, a vision for a better future. Learn more here.Off-Season Listening Recommendations:
Catch up on some of our most impactful episodes:
Connecting CabraAdaptation: Facing Reality of Giving Up?Why Are We Stuck? Exploring the Psychology of Climate Change with Eoin GalavanRain Rain Rain from Hot Mess by Philip Boucher HayesCheck out our Climate Alarm Clock Specials playlist on Spotify and let us know your favourite episodes by dropping us a line.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all the team at The Climate Alarm Clock. We will see (or land in your ears) in 2025!
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Data centres are in the news again and for all the wrong reasons. They're using more than 20% of Ireland's electricity, they're plugging into fossil gas and they're gobbling up our renewables.
In this climate question episode, Ciara asks what data centres are all about and why are they a climate problem? We look at the impact of AI and find out about dark data.
We all use data centres don't we, what can we do to press pause?
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Darragh went on a field trip down to Cork to attend the Climate Justice Universities Union. Along with all the friendly and interesting people he met, Darragh sat down with Jennie Stephens and John Barry for a good chat about the problems relating to climate change and the role of universities.
Visit the unions website: https://www.climatejusticeuniversitiesunion.org
Thank you to the union for having us and to everyone who spoke to us.
:)
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We're in need of coffee to get us through this election, if you fancy buying us one! And you can find us and leave us a comment on Bluesky @climatealarmclock.bsky.social
This week: COP29 ends with a bad deal for the Global South, some are calling it a 'slap in the face'. Darragh, Tom and Anna look at whether COP is fit for purpose and ask if it has any credibility left at this point.
Here in Ireland, the general election is coming up fast. We look at a manifesto review commissioned by Friends of the Earth and at Not Here Not Anywhere's assessment of the parties against their climate red lines. Spoiler alert the big parties are not coming out to top when it comes to climate action.
And RTE is not coming out on top with its election coverage, giving priority to divisive issues like immigration instead of climate. *RW (rant warning).
Darragh wants us all to go to Forest School to chill out.
Actions for this week:
The Irish Garden Bird Survey is back, you can become a citizen scientist.
The amazing movie Birdsong has an international streamer if you fancy an uplifting movie event.
If you're starting to think about Christmas shopping, consider gifting a subscription to the Irish Woodland Trust or buy a great Irish nature book from your local bookshop!
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If you want to buy us a coffee, you can do that here !
Ten days out from a national election, manifestoes are raining down on us from Ireland's political parties (most of them). After spending the whole weekend examining policies (fun weekend), Ciara's climate question is how do we know where our political parties stand on climate issues? Ciara, Anna and Tom do a deep dive into various party positions, looking at where they stand on some key climate issues.
We try very hard to stay objective, really, we do our best.
We highlight three environmental organisations who have done the work to make it easy for us to know what to ask candidates, here's how you can be a climate voter:
Friends of the Earth helps climate voters demand faster and fairer action
Irish Doctors for the Environment manifesto links climate to health issues
And Not Here Not Anywhere identifies some clear climate red lines
There's still time to demand a standalone climate debate too, sign the Uplift petition
Recommended Listening
Ireland plans for emergency gas generators w/Daniel MurrayIreland outperforms again, but in the wrong directionWhy Are We Stuck? Exploring The Psychology of Climate Change With Eoin GalavanSowing seeds of change: Organic farming and climate advocacy with Kenneth Keavey of Green Earth OrganicsAdaptation: Facing reality of giving up? Fresh reports… Yeah but who cares? We’ve heard all this before right? The IPCC; a great bunch of lads Why is Air Travel so Cheap? Rain Rain Rain - Hot Mess by Philip Boucher Hayes Catch up by Louise McSharry - Election Special on Friday 22nd Nov with Sinead Carroll from The Journal Bog Slides and Big DataBird Watch Ireland episodes
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G'wan and buy us a coffee here
2024 is officially the hottest year on record and it's only November.
Meanwhile COP 29 has started in Azerbaijan... yes another COP, another petrostate and there's billions and trillions of climate finance being discussed.
Ireland gets ready for a general election on November 29th, what do climate voters need to look at? Manifestos are coming out daily, how can we sort through them and make sense of what the parties are actually doing about climate?
Ciara, Anna and Tom discuss these stories and find some good news to finish up with too.
Actions this week
Stay up to date with COP: Sign up to The Journal Temperature Check newsletter from Lauren Boland:
Get ready for the Irish elections!
Invite General Election candidates to sign Friends of the Earth's Climate Pledge
Support the Uplift petition demanding a standalone TV/livestream #GE2024 Leaders’ Debate on the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency
Join DCU's Centre for Climate and Society and Friends of the Earth at election hustings on Wednesday, November 20th at 9.30am and ask the next political leaders how they plan to deliver a Government for Faster and Fairer climate action!
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Donate to the upkeep of the Climate Alarm Clock by buying us a coffee
Offsetting carbon emissions seems to offer a way for individuals and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint, even if they can't eliminate emissions entirely. Offsetting funds projects like reforestation, renewable energy, and clean technology development.
BUT evidence is mounting that offsetting is "junk" and being used as a marketing tool to avoid real emissions reductions, in other words, Greenwashing!
Ciara, Darragh and Anna explore the question of carbon offsets and whether they are actually worthless.
But planting trees is still worthwhile, here are some tree planting organisations to consider:
Home Tree
Tress on the Land
Reforest nation
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Halloween is this week and there's a lot of scary news out there. The latest UN Emissions Gap Report warns that we are on course for 3 degrees of warming. There's no more time for 'hot air'.
Darragh, Ciara and Anna agree with Oxfam that the scariest monsters this Halloween are the Bloody Billionaires! No more treats for them while they trick the rest of us.
Billionaires emit more carbon pollution in 90 minutes than the average person does in a lifetime | Oxfam International
ACTIONS for this week
Recommended reading from a regular listener: If Everyone Tripped on Psychedelics, We’d Do More About Climate Change
Sign up with Friends of the Earth for a Climate Justice Day of Action: Tuesday, November 12th. On this day, FoE invite you to get out into your communities and talk to neighbours, friends, family or indeed local politicians about the most pressing climate justice issues of the day. There are many ways to participate.
Darragh is excited about the start of the Irish Garden Birds Survey
And you can have your say on our national parks in this consultation.
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Ciara wants to know why air travel is so cheap and what's wrong with cheap flights anyway - we all need a bit of sunshine don't we? And we're on an island after all.
And aren't all the airlines going sustainable anyway?
We hear a lot in the Irish media about the need to raise the Dublin airport passenger cap but not so much about the impact of air travel on the environment, or about how airlines can offer such cheap fares. Which begs the question, why are the Irish press so obsessed with celebrating aviation and overlooking the climate implications of flying?
In this climate question episode, Ciara, Darragh and Anna go deep on air travel, why it's such a big source of pollution, the real costs of flying, and whether 'net zero targets' are real.
Buy us a coffee; donate and help us with the upkeep of the podcast.
Find out more:
Check out episode 15 of Hot Mess with Phillip Boucher-Hayes
Read about the Aviation tax gap | DigitalOcean
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The Climate Alarm Clock is back, and we've just turned 3 years old!
Buy us a coffee to celebrate :)
Darragh, Ciara and Tom talk over the new reports from the WWF and the EPA.
The Living Planet Reprt 2024 , is a stark report released by the World Wildlife Fund, reporting on biodiversity loss all over the world.
Irelands Environmental Protection Agency has released Ireland's Shtate of the Environment Report 2024 about how the nations effort to combat the climate crisis is going, or not going as the case may be.
What can we do?
Organisations like Cuan beo, Corrib Beo, Boyne Rivers Trust! Waters of Life - lists trusts around Ireland to check out. Channel your despondence into joining a group!
Climate Action Week! Get involved!!
Check out the wildling movie on Thursday evening.
Climate Justice Universities Union have a meeting, 21st November
Your Parks, Your Say
Samhain Festival of Food & Culture - https://foodcultureireland.ie/samhain/
festival showcases the very best of Irish food and drink, food culture and history through a weekend long series of events from food & drinks tastings and cookery demonstrations, to food safaris, farm visits, kids workshops, discussions and debates with Ireland’s foremost culinary experts
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In our final episode of the summer, Anna, Ciara, Darragh and Tom discuss Ireland's latest greenhouse gas emissions report - good news, bad news or both? Professor Barry McMullen has criticised the toxic positivity about the latest emissions, is he right?
And a new report on Climate in the Mind has some interesting findings that point to the influence of misinformation.
Meanwhile, the planet has had its hottest 12 months ever.
We finish the season with a reminder of some good news and as ever some actions to take.
Actions we recommend:
Mark the date and register for climate camp on the shores of Lough Neagh August 7th to 11th 2024!
Don't forget Gaza, keep the pressure on by getting to a national demonstration [Dublin] National Demonstration for Palestine – Stop Arming Israel!
Email your TDs – we know they’ll be working on Budget 2025 . Tell them what you need to see this spent on. Solar panels, public transport, electric car grants – There’s a general election in the air and we need action. So annoy the hell out of your TDs and push for action !
See you all in October ! (or at climate camp before that)
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Buy us a coffee and leave a comment :)
We start with good news, the Nature Restoration Law is passed in the EU, thanks to the leadership of a 'rogue' Austrian environment minister. Darragh, Anna and Ciara discuss how it happened, the role Ireland played and some of the reactions.
Then, what have the Greens done for us anyway? We chat about Eamon Ryan's resignation and legacy.
Extreme heat is killing people around the world, from the Hajj in Mecca to Greece and the US midwest, and a new study examines resilience in the face of disasters.
In good news, rewilding creates jobs in Scotland.
And we're impressed with Just Stop Oil again.
Actions:
Go out and enjoy nature!
In Dublin, check out Stoneybatter Festival, they have an EcoHub and a Bike Bop.
Listen to the new series of Hot Mess with Philip Boucher-Hayes
Have your say... Fill in the goverment issued survey on Climate conversations
Join Talamh Beo
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Buy as a coffee and support the upkeep on the pod
This weeks pod is hosted by Darragh and Tom...
As the dust is settling on the election, we unpick what it all means for the planet....
We discuss some the poisoning of the Allow River in Cork and the hypocrisy of our pensions are being invested into Fossil Fuels
And Tom Spencer lends his expertise to the proposed levy on Chinese EV's
Actions:The Rethinking Growth Conference looks like it will be interesting and worth attending for any Dubliners out there
Listen to some thought provoking music from singer Peggy Seeger:
How I Long For Peace & Song of Choice
Celebrate the Summer Solstice on Friday week and reconnect with nature
and Consider joining political party????
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Go on, buy us a coffee ---> https://buymeacoffee.com/theclimatealarm
We have a rant about Regina Doherty and her comments on bike lanes.
The confusion and misinformation around consumer goods and the environment is as bad as it ever was, we discuss greenwashing.
Anna's favourite band Coldplay are doing their bit for the planet, or are they?
And the deposit return scheme starts to show real success
Actions:If you're listening ahead of your vote today , check out https://www.whichcandidate.ie/ to help you decide
IBikeBop for the next group cycle around Dublin. Check out their Facebook and/or Twitter
If you're interested in in attending the Rethinking Growth Conference on 25th and 26th June in Trinity, Dublin. go to https://rethinking-growth.ie/
LIsten to our previous episodes with psycologist Eoin Galavan on the psychology of climate change here and here
Lisa Fingleton's Voices from the Field is a great piece looking positively at what the future of agriculture could look like
It's pride month, ally yourself with the community and have a read about the disproportionate effect of climate change on the LGBT community here
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Coffee...?
The EPA has published Ireland's Greenhouse Gas Emissions projections and surprise surprise, we are not going to hit our targets. Darragh, Ciara and Anna dig into the details and the political reactions. What does this mean for the upcoming elections? Some of the opposition parties insist the government should be doing more, while Eamon Ryan accuses them of doing nothing. Who's right and does it matter?
While we're arguing about it, the climate is heating up around the world. India and Pakistan see record heat and Bangladesh is reeling from a record breaking storm.
But there are some (sort of) good news stories too... the EU is using less fossil fuels, renewable energy is growing in the US and the US public are in favour of suing big oil.
Actions for this week:
Get election ready. Check out your European election candidates on the Journal. See which candidates you agree with most based on the issues. The Friends of the Earth election toolkit has all the info you need.
Sign up to the Temperature check newsletter from Lauren Boland and the Journal.
Watch Birdsong on the RTE Player, it's inspiring!
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Darragh is back from his slow travels and is joined by Ciara and Anna to look at the climate news.
A scientific study has concluded that our extremely wet winter was made wetter and windier by climate change.
The local and european elections are coming up on June 7th, why do they matter and how do you tackle a candidate at your doorstep? (Ciara wants to know).
We also find some good news stories to share, our national bird is making a comeback.
Actions we recommend this week:
Check out the Friends of the Earth election toolkit and email your councillor candidates.
This EU Parliament Scoreboard | WWF shows you how Irish parties voted on climate and environmental issues (hint: some have very poor voting records).
If you want to know more, sign up for European election hustings on May 28th.
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*well said Joan Baez
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It's all doom, gloom, misinformation and a bit of hope this week.
With Darragh away, Anna and Ciara are joined by Tom Spencer, of IrishEvs.com to discuss what's in the news.
A survey of climate scientists by the Guardian finds only 6% think 1.5 is still alive. Many experts are in despair at the lack of political will to take action to avert catastrophe. We discuss reactions -- is this too much doom, are scientists the right people to be asking and why are they still insisting action is important?
Meanwhile, stories about EVs caught Tom's eye. He highlights how a lot of the 'bad news' is speculation or even misinformation.
We have some good news about Ireland playing a leadership role in Europe.
And as always, some actions we can all take:
If you’re in Dublin… get to the Garden of Remembrance for 1pm on Saturday for National Demonstration for Palestine… march to help end the ongoing Nakba.
If you’re not in Dublin check out the listings on IPSC.ie Emergency Actions for Palestine Around Ireland and find one near you.
Also Irish Artists for Palestine - Alternative eurovision - Two live shows in Dublin and Galway, streamed on YouTube, aiming to raise 100K, Watch back, donate, share!
Elections are coming up… are you a climate voter? Not Here Not Anywhere has launched its local elections climate pledge, encouraging candidates to be climate leaders, not climate culprits! Check out their website for ideas on how to contact your local candidates and what to ask them to do.
Ciara recommends a naked Street Feast
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You can buy us a coffee here !
It's Earth Week but that didn't stop Scotland backtracking on its ambitious climate targets. And Unilever, one of the largest users of plastic packaging in the world, decided to reduce its plastic reduction targets too. We talk about what's going on with the growing corporate and political backlash against climate action. Pragmatic or just delaying?
Meanwhile in Ireland, a new poll commissioned by Friends of the Earth finds no sign of climate backlash in Irish public opinion. We take a look at some of the more interesting findings.
We find some good news coming from California too!
And as always, we have some actions to suggest:
Not Here Not Anywhere is launching its local elections climate pledge, encouraging candidates to be climate leaders, not climate culprits! The official launch is on Weds May 1st outside Dail Eireann at 1pm, all welcome if you can make it. If not, check out their website for ideas on how to contact your local candidates and what to ask them to do.
Add your name to the urgent petition calling for a strong Global Plastics Treaty.
Finally... go for a walk! Listen to the birds and enjoy Spring! But not before listening to Elaine McGoff's lovely Earth Day reflections.
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G'wan you can buy us a coffee if you want!
The gang are back together! Darragh, Ciara and Anna look at what's been happening since we took a break in December.
(There's a hint in the episode title)
We reflect on how much worse the situation in Gaza is now and how that links back to climate justice.
Global average temperatures continue to break records and food production is being badly affected by rain here in Ireland and drought in other countries. Ciara has been working with food producers who are on the frontlines and struggling.
And a new research study provides shocking estimates of the cost of climate damage. A CONSERVATIVE estimate is that climate damage will cost $38 trillion every year! Much cheaper to start mitigating and reduce emissions now.
In a good news story, the Swiss klimatsenioren won a landmark case in the European Court of Human Rights which opens the door to other countries being held accountable for protecting their citizens with climate action.
What can we do? (apart from suing the government!). Some actions we suggest this week:
Join Talamh Beo to work for fairer food systems. Plant some seedlings while you're at it.
Come along to Friends of the Earth education day on global justice in Richmond Barracks, Dublin 8 on Saturday 27th April
Check out the Long Time Project for intergenerational thinking
Organise a Street Feast (your neighbours will love you for it).
Support Médicins Sans Frontières with this amazing song from Roisin el Cherif!
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Season Finale! A big thanks to all our listeners and wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas season and new year -- see you in 2024!
Cop28 finished with a standing ovation, but what was really achieved? Ciara, Darragh and Anna take a look at reactions to fossil fuels being mentioned in a COP agreement for the first time. Darragh dusts off his analogies and even Ciara tries a sporting analogy (we're not sure what sport though).
Here in Ireland, the Dail passed a motion calling on Ireland to support the Fossil Fuels Non Proliferation treaty (nepotism alert here, the motion was sponsored by Thomas Pringle, TD).
And as always, we finish off with some festive actions:
Join a rally for Palestine happening around the country this Saturday (and other days too), details on the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign website.
Ciara recommends abandoning the tat and gifting people wholesome experiences this Christmas. She's offering a walk in the woods with herself.
- Visa fler
