POLICY ASPECTS OF LAND-USE PLANNING IN IRELAND. BROADSHEET No. 22, December 1983

The passage of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act in 1963 heralded a substantially increased degree of intervention by government into decisions concerning how land is used. We describe the form which this intervention took over the subsequent 20 years and analyse its implications. We do so in three phases. First we present the legislative, administrative and analytic framework, then we discuss some elements of the planning process and finish with some conclusions

The European Carbon Market in Action: Lessons from the First Trading Period Interim Report

Abstract and PDF report are also available on the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change website (http://globalchange.mit.edu/).The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is the largest greenhouse gas market ever established. The European Union is leading the world's first effort to mobilize market forces to tackle climate change. A precise analysis of the EU ETS's performance is essential to its success, as well as to that of future trading programs. The research program "The European Carbon Market in Action: Lessons from the First Trading Period," aims to provide such an analysis. It was launched at the end of 2006 by an international team led by Frank Convery, Christian De Perthuis and Denny Ellerman. This interim report presents the researchers' findings to date. It was prepared after the research program's second workshop, held in Washington DC in January 2008. The first workshop was held in Paris in April 2007. Two additional workshops will be held in Prague in June 2008 and in Paris in September 2008. The researchers' complete analysis will be published at the beginning of 2009.The research program “The European Carbon Market in Action: Lessons from the First Trading Period” has been made possible thanks to the support of: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, BlueNext, EDF, Euronext, Orbeo, Suez, Total, Veolia

Insights for climate policy in Europe

In this paper, the following key issues are addressed: the so-called “South” – the Group of 77 and China – and how to engage their interest and commitment; the purported savings if the flexible mechanisms are availed of, and the macro-economic impacts of meeting the Kyoto objectives; the associated issues of narrowing the extent and scope for such trading by setting a limit on how much can be traded, and “hot air” – the surplus quota above their own projected needs which Russia and most of the old Soviet Union have to offer; operational issues, including units to be traded, monitoring and enforcement, allocation of permits, competitiveness and risk management; in the case of emissions trading, the initial allocation of permits

Abatement and Allocation in the Pilot Phase of the EU ETS

We use historical industrial emissions data to assess the level of abatement and overallocation that took place across European countries during the pilot phase (2005-2007)of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme. Using a dynamic panel data model, we estimate the counterfactual (business-as-usual) emissions scenario for EU member states. Comparing this baseline to allocated and verified emissions, we conclude that both overallocation and abatement occurred, along with under-allocation and emissions inflation. Over the three trading years of the pilot phase we find over-allocation of approximately 376 million EUAs (6%) and total abatement at the member state level of 107 Mt CO2 (1.8%). However, due to over-allocation and possible uncertainty about future allocation methodologies, we calculate that emissions inflation of approximately 119 Mt CO2 (2%) occurred, resulting in emissions over the pilot phase being approximately 12 Mt CO2 (0.2%) higher than they would have been in the absence of the EU ETS.Emissions Trading Scheme, Climate Policy, Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

LAND DRAINAGE POLICY IN IRELAND. DUBLIN, 1982

Ireland suffers from an extensive drainage problem. The source of the difficulty is not exception rainfall. It is the saucer shape of the countryside with its high maritime rim and flat interior. As a result, the rivers flow slowly through poor channels. Much of the land suffers from periodic or prolonged flood damage. Even at low-flow, the rivers provide poor outfalls that prevent adjoining lands being properly drained. If left unattended, these slow-flowing rivers tend to silt up and the drainage conditions degenerate. So, the need for remedial drainage work is recurrent. State involvement in arterial drainage has a long history, dating back to famine times. At that time, the work was all done manually, and it employed about forty thousand people at peak. The process has now become highly mechanised with the use of dragline excavators and floating dredgers for excavation, and specialised equipment for drilling and blasting rock. It is all carried out under the central direction of the Office of Public Works (OPW). Fewer than one thousand people are now employed on the programme. Almost all of the arterial work has consisted of deepening and widening river channels to accommodate existing river flows. The alternative - moderating river flows by diverting rivers or storing in reservoirs - is uncommon. Schemes are designed after the study of long records of water flows and a detailed survey of the catchment. Typically, the channel enlargement aims to give immunity from the three-year flood and to reduce the low-flow water table sufficiently so that satisfactory drainage is achieved of the land areas to be improved. This level of flood immunity means that flooding in the Spring-Autumn growing season will be very rare. The low water table provides sufficient outfall to enable farmers to fully rehabilitate their land by field drainage. State involvement in field drainage is of quite recent origin. It takes the form of grant aid. The one experiment in direct work by tile state proved unwieldy and was short-lived. The grant is administered by the Department of Agriculture

ENERGY CROPS, FORESTRY AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN IRELAND. ESRI General Research Series Paper No. 114, October 1983

The more than four-fold increases in real oil prices which occurred in the 1973-83 decade has combined with a perception that such supplies were susceptible to sudden interruption to result in greatly increased interest in the opportunities for providing indigenous energy supplies. Ireland’s climate and soils are ideal for tree growth. These two considerations -- energy price rises and suitability for tree growth -- led logically to a consideration of the question as to whether it could be to national advantage to grow wood energy crops in Ireland to meet some of our energy needs. Such crops typically comprise hardwood species such as willow, alder and poplar which are cut periodically, e.g., every 5 years, after which they resprout. Research on the biological potentials in this regard was initiated in Northern Ireland in 1973, and has been concentrated there on the wet mineral soils. In the Republic an extensive research programme started in 1976. Most attention has been devoted to the potential of the land remaining after Bord na M6na has extracted the peat -- the cutaway - but other site types have been examined and some harvesting and utilisation studies have also been initiated

BUDGET PERSPECTIVES 2009. RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 4 OCTOBER 2008

The context for this year’s Budget differs sharply from most of those in the past decade and a half. The global economy has been buffeted by crises in financial markets. Oil prices, even after recent falls, are at very high levels. Furthermore, the sharp decline in housing activity in Ireland carries negative implications both for employment and for tax revenues. A consequence of the changed situation is that the date of the 2009 Budget has been brought forward by eight weeks. This year’s Budget Perspectives Conference, co-hosted by The Economic and Social Research Institute and the Foundation for Fiscal Studies, provides several inputs to inform macroeconomic decision making in these challenging times. In addition, two longer-term issues are addressed. The first of these deals with the policy framework for climate change, an issue that has risen rapidly on the Irish policy horizon in recent years. The second issue is the effectiveness of public spending in achieving its objectives in the area of sport, which is now recognised as an important contributor to health and quality of life in modern society

Green and bear it? IMPLEMENTING MARKET-BASED POLICIES FOR IRELAND’S ENVIRONMENT. Proceedings of a Conference held on 10 May, 2001

While concern for the natural environment continues to be widely professed, it is often unmatched by a willingness to take action. Green intentions are discouraged by the burdens that effective policies would impose. But are these burdens real or imagined, or necessarily either? If there are better ways to take action, why are they not taken? This volume addresses the challenge, as perceived, to “green and bear it”

Stories of Hell and Healing: Internet Users’ Construction of Benzodiazepine Distress and Withdrawal

Abstract Benzodiazepines are a group of drugs used mainly as sedatives, hypnotics, antiepileptics, and muscle relaxants. Consumption is recommended for 2 to 4 weeks only, due to fast onset of dependency and potentially distressing withdrawal symptoms. Few peer-review studies have drawn on the user experiences and language to appreciate firsthand experiences of benzodiazepine withdrawal or discontinuation syndrome. We looked extensively at patient stories of benzodiazepine withdrawal and recovery on Internet support sites and YouTube. Our analysis indicated that users employ rich metaphors to portray the psychologically disturbing and protracted nature of their suffering. We identified seven major themes: hell and isolation, anxiety and depression, alienation, physical distress, anger and remorse, waves and windows, and healing and renewal. By posting success stories, ex-users make known that “healing” can be a long, unpredictable process, but distress does lessen, and recovery can happen