John Sweeney Responds

[Excerpt] New Labor Movement in the Shell of the Old? by Jeremy Brecher and Tim Costello is just the kind of thoughtful critique the New Voices of the American labor movement need if we are to make the transition from campaign rhetoric to meaningful change. During the campaign last summer and fall, I ended virtually every speech with my personal commitment to such reviews and critiques by saying, And my idea of a perfect labor movement is one which constantly re-examines itself and corrects its own imperfections

Global Warming Scenarios for Ireland and their Implications for Environmental Management.

Regional climate forecasts cannot yet be derived with confidence from general circulation models of the atmosphere, particularly in terms of projecting precipitation changes at middle latitude locations such as Ireland. This paper employs several large datasets relating to Irish precipitation and synoptic circulation types to examine past and present precipitation-circulation relationships. These relationships are then used to make preliminary inferences concerning likely changes in seasonal parameters in a greenhouse-warmed Irish climate. It is concluded that increases of 5-15% in winter precipitation will be accompanied by significant reductions in summer values, especially in eastern Ireland. These projections, allied to the global predictions concerning sea level rise are then used in an examination of some implications, particularly in civil engineering aspects of environmental management

Climate Change and Development Education:New Opportunities for Partnership

Despite different evolutionary paths, development education and environmental education are increasingly finding a common focus in addressing climate change issues. Realising the synergies this offers requires both sets of practitioners to grasp the essential underpinnings of climate science, policy and ethics. This paper presents the principal authoritative sources that development educators should be guided by. Achieving a successful partnership will involve reconsideration of concepts of development as well as of relationships between the developed and developing worlds. The urgency of achieving radical changes in approach is stressed as the time scale for effective global and national actions to tackle climate change diminishes and crucial decisions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change become imminent

Climate Extremes

Opinion articl

No Plan B for planet if climate deal not agreed

The short-sightedness of nations acting in their own narrow self-interest is the biggest threat to any agreement at the Copenhagen climate conference

Modelling Dublin Smoke Pollution: An Epilogue?

The acceleration in industrial growth which occurred in Ireland in the 1970s, the virtual cessation of emigration which it enabled for a time, and the.consequent increase in population in the Dublin region which resulted, ushered in problems of pollution and environmental degradation which had not previously been of serious concern. Among the most intractable of these has been that of smoke pollution in Dublin city, a problem further exacerbated by changes in fuel prices and preferences occurring during the late 1970s and 1980s. Though deterioration in air quality was linked in several studies to mortality and morbidity in the city from respiratory and cardiovascular causes, progress in controlling domestic smoke emissions has been limited by political inertia and opposition from commercial interests. The radical decision to ban bituminous coal sales within a designated area from 1st October 1990 has however transformed the situation, and renders compliance likely with EC mandatory limits by the target date of April 1993. This paper charts the turnaround in Dublin air quality and models the meteorological and emission conditions necessary to attain the stricter winter guide values of Directive 80/779

The International Geosphere-Biosphere programme.

The global environment is currently undergoing change on scales which may' with the benefit of hindsight, be seen to exceed in speed most of those hitherto experienced during human occupance of the planet. Undoubtedly, some of these changes are natural, reflecting the age-old rhythms of the ecosphere as it makes its evolutionary journey through time. Some changes, however are undoubtedly anthropogemcally induced by the increased demands on fm1te resources which arise from growing population numbers and.the greater leverage which can be exerted on crucial points of environmental systems by industrial societies