Emissions impossible: Non-governmental environmental organisations have expressed shock at the Government's decision to increase the amount of carbon dioxide emissions permitted by industry for the Kyoto period of 2008-2012.
Pat Finnegan of Grian, the climate change lobby group, said: "Many other EU member states - many of whom are closer than Ireland to their Kyoto targets - are currently planning to reduce the amount of emissions permits allowed to industry." He said some countries have succeeded in pressurising industry into using cost-effective means to reduce their carbon trading liability.
Commenting on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Allocation Plan, Oisín Coghlan, director of Friends of the Earth, said: "This plan covers only a third of Ireland's climate pollution and proposes to give away 94 per cent of the emissions permits, which is hardly a road map to a low-carbon future." Coghlan also wants information on plans to deal with other types of pollution - such as transport, which has risen 143 per cent since 1990. "We need a national conversation on climate and energy. We must examine big ideas such as moving to a four-day working week and making all public transport free," he said.
Preserving city walls: Plans for the restoration and management of city walls have been set up in Derry, Dublin, Kilkenny and Athlone, Co Westmeath. Representatives of these and other towns in the network of 19 historic walled towns throughout Ireland met in Derry last week to discuss progress and plan for the future. "The potential to enhance the civic pride and sense of place for communities and build exciting tourist experiences is enormous," said Alison Harvey, Irish Walled Towns Network (IWTN) co-ordinator with the Heritage Council. The IWTN was established by the Heritage Council to unite and co-ordinate local authorities in conserving, managing and promoting their historic walled towns. See www.heritagecouncil.ie
Open day on the bog: To celebrate the arrival of summer on the bog, the Bog of Allen Nature Centre is holding an open day next Saturday. Events will include tours of the peat reserve, Lodge Bog and Bog Museum, composting demonstrations, bat-box-making workshops and wildlife garden tours. Admission €2 per adult is in aid of Peatlands Under Threat Campaign. The open day runs from 10am-4pm at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Co Kildare, which is on the R414 road from Allenwood to Rathangan. See www.ipcc.ie or tel: 045-860133.
Birdwatching for beginners: Birdwatchers keen to join others and learn new tips should check out the summer courses run by Birdwatch Ireland on Cape Clear Island off the coast of Co Cork. This year there are four weekend Beginning Birdwatching courses with a maximum of six participants, (June 10-11, July 8-9, August 12-13 and September 2-3), week-long nature courses for up to 15 people, entitled Birds, Bees and Flowers (June 26-30 and August 21-25) and one week-long course focusing on migration and seabirds from September 11-15. For more details, tel: 01-2819878.
