Sign in

Paul Price

@swimsure.bsky.social
2.8K followers 1.4K following 934 posts

Research: climate change science & policy. Blog: climate-change-and-ireland.ghost.io –Adjunct faculty Dublin City University ORCID: 0000-0002-7995-6712; –eNGO research & An Taisce member; MSc. Sus Dev & BSc(Hon) Geology 30 yrs pro carpentry. 🚲 🏊

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Paul Price
Kieran Ryan @kieranryan.bsky.social · 3h
We're in a proper Covid wave here in Ireland at the moment with a significant number of hospitalisations each week. Flu cases are ramping up too. For all the recent news coverage of the flu vaccine shortages, there has been very little public acknowledgement of this Covid wave.
A screengrab of Ireland's public health respiratory virus tracker showing a big increase in Covid and flu cases over the past week.
1165
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 9h
"Ending Fossil Power", the latest report from Stop Climate Chaos Ireland. –Data shows Ireland far off track from meeting climate commitments so urgent action needed. –Climate Action Plan is now long-overdue –Government is actively evading climate obligations. www.stopclimatechaos.ie/news/2026/09...
stopclimatechaos.ie
Ending Fossil Power | Stop Climate Chaos
Stop Climate Chaos launch their latest report Government must urgently act to close Ireland’s widening emissions gap, new report warns Recent data shows that Ireland needs urgent change of tack to &#8...
054
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 10h
Jaw-dropping doublespeak by Ireland's climate action Minister Darragh O'Brien: “We’re not going to hit our 2030 target but that does not reduce our ambition in that regard”. 🇮🇪 ambition *is* the 2030 target, so not hitting it [read, missing it by a large margin] *is* reducing ambition in that regard.
072
Reposted by Paul Price
Environmental Pillar @envpillar.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Stop Climate Chaos & Environmental Pillar wrote to Minister O’Brien ahead of the Informal Meeting of EU energy ministers setting out priorities for energy affordability, energy efficiency & renewables & energy security by cutting dependence on fossil fuels www.environmentalpillar.ie/app/uploads/...
053
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Why yes, of course you can build out your gigantic 72,500 m2 energy and resource-sucking data centre, but be sure to “encourage staff to use public transport, cycling & walking”. Beyond parody from the crack squad at An Coimisiún Pleanala. www.irishtimes.com/business/202...
77221
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Walking Wicklow-Greystones yesterday, the speed of coastal erosion toward the railway— hastened by accelerating sea level rise—was starkly apparent vs last year. As pointed out to Irish Rail engineers, the protection plan does not account for revised SLR projection. The rail line has to move inland.
Photo looking north showing the railway and adjacent coastal erosion between Wicklow and Greystones.Photo of railway fence posts undermined by coastal erosion between Wicklow and Greystones.
081
Reposted by Paul Price
Sam Tranum @samtranum.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
dublininquirer.com
The Oireachtas leans into Microsoft for its comms, even as other European governments abandon US tech
Switching to the US big tech provider, for phone systems and more, comes at a time of fierce debate about tech sovereignty.
13218
Reposted by Paul Price
Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute (MUSSI) @mu-ssi.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
New report: How We All Pay for Big Tech examines the economic, social and environmental costs of data centre expansion in Ireland. By Seán Fearon, @pbresnihan.bsky.social & Patrick Brodie. Read more: bit.ly/4jlJ5ak #DataCentres #Research #Energy #DigitalInfrastructure
12920
Reposted by Paul Price
Barry McMullin @autofac.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Note to EU: Canada under Carney is NOT a "reliable ally" in the single most pressing challenge we are facing.
151
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In a word: no. In two words: definitely not. Agri press moves from #climate denial to delusional complacency instead. Not sure this is progress. www.agriland.ie/farming-news...
agriland.ie
Opinion: Could climate change be a good news story for Irish agriculture?
Meanwhile, food security levels in the European Union continue to falter
138929
Reposted by Paul Price
Patrick Bresnihan @pbresnihan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Ireland has highest domestic electricity bills in Europe, directly linked to runaway growth in data centres since 2015. Ireland could be a world leader in clean energy, which would insulate us from energy price volatility. These are policy decisions. www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
irishtimes.com
Households ‘put on the hook’ for cost of data centre expansion to electricity grid
Irish consumers pay disproportionately more for electricity than large data centres, report suggests
43117
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Back from enjoyable ferry break to Cherbourg & the adjacent Cotentin Peninsula for some great cycling, sea swimming, & awesome patisserie. Climate related: a big purpose-built wind farm supply area in the harbour; supermarket parking with raised solar PV (720 panels), tiny cars, bike contraflows.
Photo of Cherbourg harbour wind farm supply area.Photo of Cherbourg supermarket parking lot with four, raised solar PV arrays (720 panels)Photo of a tiny Fiat car.Photo of a Cherbourg town street. Notable absence of street furniture! Almost all one-way streets expicitly allow bike contraflow.
030
Reposted by Paul Price
Róisín Moriarty @roisinmoriarty.com · 17/09/2026
Great news!
0122
Reposted by Paul Price
Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 14/07/2026
"Ireland's Enterprise Minister Peter Burke attended a private dinner with tech giant Meta at the US ambassador’s residence in February to discuss the “digital agenda for Ireland’s EU presidency,” amid a US drive to soften Europe’s policing of big tech." www.independent.ie/business/min...
independent.ie
Minister dined with Meta lobbyists at US ambassador’s residence amid US drive to soften Europe’s policing of big tech
Peter Burke’s intimate dinner with the tech giant’s reps was aimed at discussing ‘the digital agenda for Ireland’s EU presidency’
3177117
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It's deeply misleading to say Ireland stayed within its first carbon budget *without* stating the caveats making the claim deeply misleading. Yet here Prof. Brian Ó Gallachóír does so. In my opinion that's poor science communication. The caveats: climate-change-and-ireland.ghost.io/did-ireland-...
climate-change-and-ireland.ghost.io
Did Ireland meet Carbon Budget 1? Some key caveats and why CB2 is the real policy test
In July EPA issued its report on Ireland’s Provisional Greenhouse Gas Emissions 1990-2025, stating that the first statutory five-year carbon budget (CB1) of 295 MtCO2e, covering 2021–2025 had been met...
1136
Reposted by Paul Price
Dr. Sandra Steingraber 🏳️‍🌈 @ssteingraber1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
We are here now: Germany is storing backup versions of US climate data to protect the work of our scientists for the next U.N. climate assessment so that it “cannot be meddled with or compromised by the administration of President Trump.” e360.yale.edu/features/ger...
e360.yale.edu
Why Germany Is Building an Ark for U.S. Climate Data
As researchers around the world begin work on the next U.N. climate assessment, fears are growing that the Trump administration could meddle with critical U.S. climate data. In response, scientists ar...
315161
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
“Role of agri minister and his officials is largely for handshakes & photo ops; the real decision-making is in hands of senior agri-PLC executives & farming lobbyists” My take in today’s @irishtimes.com. www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
07425
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Far be it from anyone to say ‘I told you so’, but delighted to see iron grip of agri industry on politics FINALLY getting some sustained media focus. www.irishtimes.com/opinion/edit...
irishtimes.com
The Irish Times view on farming and politics: unhealthily close
For decades the Department of Agriculture has operated as though it were a branch office of the Irish Farmers’ Association
56615
Reposted by Paul Price
Barry McMullin @autofac.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
".. there are hard limits to the usefulness of [LLM] methods. AI bosses and boosters can't or won't acknowledge this [so we are] spending trillions and emitting gigatons of CO2 for diminishing returns, firing an army of workers, and replacing them with defective chatbots that can't do their jobs."
033
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"For decades the Department of Agriculture has operated as though it were a branch office of the Irish Farmers’ Association, its instincts bent reliably towards the producer & away from the consumer, the environment & taxpayer." Ditto: Irish media, Teagasc, BordBia www.irishtimes.com/opinion/edit...
irishtimes.com
032
Reposted by Paul Price
Ciarán Cuffe @ciarancuffe.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Fairer fares? Absolutely! That’s why Greens, SocDems, Labour and People Before Profit were at Dáil Éireann today, calling on Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien to reverse the proposed 15% increase in public transport fares in #Budget2027. Madness!
1329
Reposted by Paul Price
Hannah Daly @hannahdaly.ie · 17/09/2026
I wrote an essay, cautioning university students on the use of GenAI for coursework. I hope it's of use. zenodo.org/records/2281...
zenodo.org
The dangers of using AI for coursework: A warning to university students
43011
Reposted by Paul Price
RadReduction (Larry Edwards) @radreduction.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Here's a corporate false claim to an "ethos for small-scale, responsible travel". The company may be small-scale in business terms. But in our era of climate breakdown, Antarctic tourist travel is big-scale distance, unnecessary, and highly irresponsible . cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/...
cruiseindustrynews.com
Lindblad Buys into 2 Air Travel Brands in its Largest-Ever Deal - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News
Lindblad Expeditions Holdings has acquired a majority ownership of White Desert, a luxury Antarctic company, and Echo Charlie, a new aviation travel brand providing specialized access to destinations ...
1116
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Shocking , but true; those suffering the worst impacts of #climate breakdown have done little or nothing to fuel the crisis. That’s on the wealthy 10%, which includes the majority of people living in Ireland. www.carbonbrief.org/two-thirds-o...
carbonbrief.org
Two-thirds of global warming since 1990 caused by world’s ‘wealthiest 10%’ - Carbon Brief
Of the 0.61C increase in global average temperatures over 1990-2020, a new study estimates that 65% was due to the emissions of the wealthiest 10%.
13818
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Finished reading ‘The Nerd Reich’ by @gilduran.com over the weekend. It’s a truly shocking exposé of just how far the fascist tech billionaires (yes, they all are) have advanced in their efforts to destroy democracy & create a new Tech Feudalism, with 99.9% of us serving as their serfs.
56121
Reposted by Paul Price
An Taisce @antaisce.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
RIP Frank McDonald "Over a reporting career lasting some 50 years, he campaigned for better urban planning and design, and against the sort of corruption that can attend the nexus where swashbuckling construction comes into contact with politics and public administration."
irishtimes.com
Frank McDonald obituary: campaigning journalist changed how we think about urban planning
His reporting was relentless and led to the publication in January 1985 of his ground-breaking book The Destruction of Dublin
0168
Reposted by Paul Price
Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Sorry to read about the death of Frank McDonald. A journalist whose work was a reflection of himself and his understanding of how physical choices in building, planning, design were all reflected in our life experiences moving through our homes, cities and lives www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
irishtimes.com
Frank McDonald, former environment editor of The Irish Times, has died
McDonald’s reporting on planning corruption was pioneering in Irish journalism, and he regularly reported from abroad on climate negotiations
5567
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Bumper edition of The Last Word on the environment this week, running to 20 mins. Teased out what a “Godzilla” El Niño may mean for the world, plus smashing through 1.5°C #climate guard rail – as Ireland jacks up public transport prices. www.todayfm.com/podcasts/the...
todayfm.com
How Will El Niño Impact Ireland This Autumn?
The World Meteorological Organisation has said that El Niño, which changes weather patterns around the world, will likely cause all land areas to experience...
1226
Reposted by Paul Price
Ciarán Cuffe @ciarancuffe.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
“Overshoot is not an argument for resignation, but rather for urgency to action.” Today’s sobering UN report on climate must not be ignored. www.unep.org/resources/li...
02313
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Two new posts now available on ThinkOrSwim.ie for some #climate reading, featuring recent articles in Irish Times and Irish Examiner. We need a Dept. of National Food Security – now www.thinkorswim.ie/we-need-a-de... Stumbling ever deeper into the Pyrocene www.thinkorswim.ie/stumbling-ev...
0246
Reposted by Paul Price
Julius Garbe @juliusgarbe.github.io · 02/09/2026
Honored to have helped review this new, major @unep.org report on “Limiting #Overshoot”, released today! There are no good outcomes in overshooting 1.5°C. Therefore, any exceedance must be as small and short as possible to reduce risks of irreversible impacts, especially from the #cryosphere. ❄️🧊🌊🧪
Front cover of the new UNEP report “Limiting overshoot: Navigating exceedance of 1.5°C and pathways towards return”
175
Reposted by Paul Price
Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Zuckerberg fighting against climate action via Instagram too.
0238
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Had opportunity to tease out theme of my Irish Examiner piece on this week’s Last Word on environment with Matt Cooper. Ireland is heavily dependent on food imports, but as #climate bites, these are at risk, so we need to set up national stockpiles now to prepare. www.todayfm.com/podcasts/the...
todayfm.com
Environment: Should We Stockpile Food To Prepare For National Emergencies?
UK citizens will be told to stock up on some food types in order to ensure they’re prepared for national emergencies.Should that be something that’s impl...
3236
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Patients are being told that they must consent to an AI tool recording their appointment in order to access medical support. If you agree this is wrong, you can add your name to the petition here: my.uplift.ie/petitions/st... @uplift.ie
my.uplift.ie
Stop AI being forced on patients in medical settings
Patients are being told that they must consent to an AI tool recording their appointment in order to access medical support. If you agree this is wrong, add your name to the petition here
122
Reposted by Paul Price
Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
In honor of the death of eternal legend Dolly Parton, here’s her 2023 #ClimateChange anthem “World on Fire.” “Liar, liar, the world’s on fire / What’cha gonna do when it all burns down … Still got time to turn it all around.” 😭💚🙏 m.youtube.com/watch?v=0QJX...
m.youtube.com
Dolly Parton - World On Fire (From The 58th ACM Awards)
YouTube video by DollyPartonVEVO
5343169
Reposted by Paul Price
Róisín Moriarty @roisinmoriarty.com · 18/08/2026
This was such a great paper to work on, with a great team, so I was delighted when we got the news yesterday that is has been selected as standout open access Irish research paper for 2025 @ioppublishing.bsky.social As @colmduff.bsky.social makes clear in his article below, methane is methane.
174
Reposted by Paul Price
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 25/08/2026
UK to warn citizens to stock up on food amid threat from climate crisis and hostile states
theguardian.com
UK to warn citizens to stock up on food amid threat from climate crisis and hostile states
Government resilience campaign aims to ensure people can cope in a national disaster, in order to free resources for most vulnerable UK citizens will be told to stock up on tinned food and take steps to ensure they are prepared for national emergencies as part of a new government campaign to improve the nation’s resilience. The new campaign from the Cabinet Office will set out ways people can prepare for extreme weather events and potential attacks from hostile states, including stocking up on bottled water, sources told the Guardian. Continue reading...
2410044
Reposted by Paul Price
Janet 🇨🇦 @jansplanet.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
“Rather than focusing solely on local drought conditions, the approach examines what happens when several major agricultural regions are affected simultaneously or in quick succession. These compound drought events are expected to become more common” #Climate #FoodSecurity #Wheat #SWS
m.farms.com
Climate Change Could Triple the Price of Wheat | Farms.com
243
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Ireland could face a near-term breakdown in our ability to import food as #climate impacts pummel global food chains, yet despite importing 80%-plus of everything we eat, we are woefully unprepared & complacent. My report in @irishexaminer.bsky.social today. www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
irishexaminer.com
John Gibbons: Ireland needs an emergency food stockpile
Climate change and supply chain threats to our import-dependent food system should impel us to stockpile food — just as we do with oil
812861
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The EPA reports Agriculture, Ireland's largest emitter, met its 2021–2025 sectoral emission ceiling with 0.7% to spare. But the EPA (& CCAC) make clear that the basis of this assessment is not meaningful. –So why say it at all? That's just misinformation. Corrected: Agriculture exceeded SEC by 6%.
032
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
"Exceeding global warming of 1.5ºC in the near term is now unavoidable. An overshoot pathway, in which exceedance is followed by decline to or below the threshold through net-negative emissions, is now the only remaining route back to 1.5ºC." [1.5C remains the agreed gauge.] doi.org/10.1088/1748...
doi.org
Overshoot pathways: reversible biophysical change, irreversible socioeconomic impacts
Overshoot pathways: reversible biophysical change, irreversible socioeconomic impacts, Al Khourdajie, Alaa, Andrijevic, Marina, Byers, Edward, Pathak, Minal, Pirani, Anna, Schleussner, Carl-Friedrich,...
052
Reposted by Paul Price
Ola Løkken Nordrum @olaln.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Shocking but not suprising stats for Ireland.
182
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Good news: The pressure is working and our beautiful west coast has been spared from corporate seaweed harvesting! action.uplift.ie/campaigns/sh...
action.uplift.ie
Share our seaweed win!
The pressure is working and our beautiful west coast has been spared from corporate seaweed harvesting! Can you share the good news?
041
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Awaiting with interest any research on algal bloom toxin air pollution from Lough Neagh or Lady's Island Lake or other agri-polluted waters on the island of Ireland...
040
Reposted by Paul Price
Simon McGarr @tupped.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
I just discovered I wasn’t following @zenbuffy.bsky.social here! What an outrage. You should all go and follow her for some of the best, thoughtful public policy and active citizenry things you can find in Ireland.
0249
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
In July, the EPA @epaireland.bsky.social misleadingly reported that Ireland met its first carbon budget (2021‐2025) & 4 of 7 sectors, incl Agri, stayed within their emission ceilings. Corrected accounting shows why that's VERY misleading, just as @ccacireland.bsky.social warned of in Dec. 2024. ==>
001
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
My review of The Fate of the World by @profbillmcguire.bsky.social is in today’s @irishtimes.com Our failure to act means the world our children grow old in “will be marked not only by a broken #climate but by mushrooming suspicion, prejudice & brutality”. www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
irishtimes.com
The Fate of the World: A History and Future of the Climate Crisis: A sobering narrative
For those new to the science of global warming, this book is a solid, if sometimes blunt, introduction
2218
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Ireland's sectoral emissions mitigation achievement for 2021–2025 is much worse than the EPA report has stated. – My commentary and analysis, heeding CCAC advice, is now also posted on LinkedIn as an article here: www.linkedin.com/pulse/irelan...
linkedin.com
Ireland's sectoral emissions mitigation achievement for 2021–2025 is much worse than the EPA report has stated
Paul Price 21 August 2026 In the previous article, I set out some necessary caveats to the EPA's summary statement on national mitigation achievement over the first carbon budget period (CB1 2021–2025...
143
Paul Price @swimsure.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
"A future of profound warming may be imaginable, but its acceptability depends on the courage to act in ways that reduce both its likelihood and its human cost. Resilience is not merely endurance, but the capacity to redirect course collectively, with an honest acceptance of planetary limits."
084
Reposted by Paul Price
John Gibbons 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺 @thinkorswim.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
"If Irish agriculture wants to look at a model for the future that uses high tech to combine productivity with resilience & efficiency in the face of our fast-changing #climate, then the Netherlands has much to teach us". My report is in today's @irishtimes.com www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
irishtimes.com
Short on land, long on vision: Dutch lead the way on food production
Ireland could learn much from a nursery and research institute in the Netherlands
35224