The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC for short) is a highly influential organisation that has heavily shaped public and scientific opinion on climate change. In their most recent Assessment Report — published in 2013/2014 — they concluded that most of the climate change since at least the 1950s was human-caused.
The IPCC reports have been used to justify international efforts to try and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, such as the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the more recent Paris Treaty (2015). They also are heavily relied on by scientists studying climate change. …
After 12 years during which no “major hurricane” made landfall in the US (a major hurricane is defined as Category 3 or higher), 2017 tragically saw an end to this “hurricane drought” when Hurricane Harvey hit Texas as a Category 4 hurricane on 25th August, quickly followed by Hurricane Irma hitting Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on 10th September. This Monday, the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia hit us here in Ireland (on the other side of the Atlantic!), although by the time it had reached us, it had been downgraded to a “storm”.
All of this hurricane activity has prompted several campaign groups, such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, as well as many other commentators (including the Pope!) to put the blame on “human-caused climate change” from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, i.e., our so-called “carbon footprint”. …
Several people have been asking me what I think about Danny Healy-Rae’s recent comments in the Dáil (Ireland’s version of Parliament/Congress) on climate change.
In case you missed it, here’s what he said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeiEO6rv97s
1. Background to the Healy-Rae debate
Danny Healy-Rae is a recently-elected independent TD (Teachta Dála, the Irish equivalent of a Member of Parliament or Congress) from Kerry (a rural part of Ireland). He and his brother, Michael Healy-Rae (another TD) were both elected with a landslide victory in their constituency, partly because many people in Kerry feel that rural Ireland (and particularly Kerry) is being ignored by the government and the media.
With their strong Kerry accents & their focus on fighting for better services for their constituency, the Healy-Rae’s are often depicted by the media as being ignorant & parochial. …
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