Off The Cuffe

at

This afternoon.

TU Dublin Grangegorman, Grangegorman Lower, Arran Quay, Dublin.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and cabinet colleagues launch the Government’s ‘Climate Action Plan to Tackle Climate Breakdown’.

To wit:

The Government aims to bring 950,000 electric vehicles into circulation as part of the Climate Action Plan, which has been published this afternoon.

It also plans to introduce legislation to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2030, and to roll out a nationwide charging system for electric vehicles.

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton described the plan as “ambitious but realistic”.

He said it identified how Ireland would achieve its 2030 targets for carbon emissions, and put the country “on a trajectory to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050”.

Climate Action Plan ‘ambitious but realistic’ (RTÉ)

Earlier…

Rollingnews

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82 thoughts on “Off The Cuffe

  1. newsjustin

    Hybrid buses?

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t hybrid buses charge their batteries with diesel power? Where’s the upside there?

      1. milk teeth

        Energy recapture meaning they’re more efficient and when they’re driving on battery they release no fumes. Not exactly new or innovative but a step up from a pure diesel bus.

          1. Pip

            A favourite loco still, the 37s.
            Most of the new generation of UK locos are quite hideous.

  2. theo kretschmar schuldorff

    Why 950,000 ecars?
    Why not 999,999 +1 ?
    Also, that’s a great collection of jaunty angles to be wearing your head at in pic #2.

    1. Cian

      I dunno, perhaps they had some formula to calculate the number – based on number of vehicles sold per year and projected electricity capacity – rather that pick a nice round number out of their bottoms?

      1. Dr.Fart MD

        well Cian, it’s not like FG have a fantastic record with being accurate with numbers.

    1. scottser

      Nary a climate scientist on the committee that drew up this farce. Tax the little guy some more and create a whole new form of poverty at the same time.
      Fukn blushirts

    1. Paulus

      Hybrids are more suited to a city environment as battery recharging is derived from coasting, and especially braking. Much of this test was conducted “out of town”

      1. Cian

        if you drive a hybrid on motorways/country roads then it is a petrol engine car that is lugging around a useless electric motor and battery pack.

        What they didn’t say was (a) how much petrol/diesel was in the cars at start and (b) is there was any change in the battery.

  3. Bruce Wee

    Amazing how quickly Fine Gael (or any political party) can react when it might effect the seat they have. Given the recent election and the rise of the Green party at local and European level, its astounding how quickly they rolled this out. I find this reactive, populous Government headed by this Idiot missing a massive trick to actually help and improve this country.

    1. newsjustin

      To be fair, this was in the pipeline long before the election. Since Bruton got the gig I think.

      1. Bruce Wee

        Was it? Well, that IS fair enough then…The timing I would imagine would have been pushed forward.

  4. GenerationScrewed

    Queue a long well defined, competitive tender process whereby maximum value is derived for the taxpayer and doesn’t end up in the hands of an individual that has a knack of somehow securing state infrastructure projects….

  5. Kolmo

    Did FG not recently sign-off on a license for LPG exploration in the Atlantic during the Bailey-swing distraction?

    1. Cian

      This is a 31-year plan to 2050 to reduce our carbon footprint; not eliminate it.

      For these 31 years we will still burn gas/oil/petrol/diesel/peat (and even afterwards). Are we better sourcing fuel locally? or continuing to support Russia/Middle-eastern despots/Ex-EU-British tin-pot regimes?

    1. Cian

      You have to hand it to FG… within just three weeks of the “green wave” they have produced a comprehensive climate action plan.

      1. GiggidyGoo

        Yeah. Really deep thinkers. The mistake they’re making is to think that the greens got votes based on policies. They got them based on giving FFGSF a bloody nose.
        The leotards as usual think they’ve the public mood sussed.

  6. Zaccone

    Its a good start. But they need to go much further, much faster.

    Heavy congestion charges for petrol/diesel cars in Dublin/Cork/Galway/Limerick before or by 2025. And all new buses and taxis being required to be fully electric moving forward, would make a huge difference to urban air quality very quickly.

        1. TheQ47

          Like when they brought in a new motor tax regime to account for emissions instead of engine size. At first it was cheaper for most cars, then they realised they could just increase the cost…

          1. Cian

            The state needs a certain amount of money to run each year. Any tax cuts needs to be balanced by a tax increase somewhere else.

          2. GiggidyGoo

            Cian. The current ‘state’ needs a certain amount of money to be available to transfer to some of the Irish bilderburg folk every year.

  7. eoin

    A fortnight after you granted an oil drilling licence to the Chinese state oil company? And the focus of this plan today is on personal transport which contributes around 10% of green house gases (all transport personal, business and public contributes 20%), while farming and the 6 million cows especially, contribute 33% and the ESB etc themselves contribute 20% by burning oil and turf to create electricity? Fupp off FG, are you now being sponsored by Tesla, or is this just your belated and faint-hearted attempt to capitalise on the Green’s recent electoral success?

    1. Dr.Fart MD

      retaining power uber alles. they never even mention agriculture, they know darn well the damage it does, but they daren’t upset the farmers.. not with an election on the horizon! which they place far more importance on than something insubconsequential like… climate change.

      1. Rob_G

        What do you really expect the government to do – ban beef farming? Do you think they should ban consuming animal products of any kind while they’re at it?

  8. SB

    No mention of safe, segregated cycle lanes, which would encourage people away from their cars.

    Also no mention of the tens of thousands of Public Sector free car parking withing the canals in Dublin, encouraging more commuter car traffic.

    1. Kim the Cardassian

      As soon as the bicycle lane from Dublin to Galway is rolled out, I’m ditching my car I promise!

    2. Hansel

      Yep, we need moar cars!
      Please ignore the fact that our grid is mostly powered by fossil fuels thanks.

    3. Rob_G

      “…tens of thousands of Public Sector free car parking withing the canals in Dublin”

      This, 100%.

      Carparking space at work should be the taxed the same as any other BIK, and then some (private sector as well as public sector).

      1. Al Bin Man

        Not a word about the cement sector and associated pre building phase emissions from construction materials

        Produces 11% of global ghg emissions according to world green building council

  9. Dub Spot

    More cars made from…

    Keep the Joe Duffys, Frank Keanes and other retailers on board.

    What a lame, silly, desperate attempt at getting back onto the Marian show for more PR – interviewed safely by INM hack O’Connor.

    Hybrid buses? WHat are those? A form of trans-port?

  10. eoin

    VAT rate on newspapers 9% (but that might increase now that Denis O’Brien is selling up at INM).
    VAT rate on coal, heating oil, gas and car-hire 13%
    VAT rate on bicycles, bike parts and repairs 23%

    I was shocked to read a receipt for bike repairs recently €30 total (€5.61 was VAT).

    This govt couldn’t give a flying fupp about green policies. And if I didn’t know better, I’d say REDACTED is buying dealerships for electric cars.

  11. SOQ

    Howz about CPO’ing all the vacant or not used land and properties being hoarded in and around or close to the city centre and build some homes?

    Then, by default, most of the people living there become eco friendly because they have no need to commute for four hours a day into and out of the centre?

  12. Praetorian.

    HAHA…poor Reggie should’ve stayed on the bus…she’s currently broke dawn outside the Merrion in her ould Merc…AA lad stuck under the bonnet…Garda escort stuck behind her… ;)))

  13. SOQ

    Regina Doherty appearance is turning into my aunt Rose. She lived in Armagh City and was heavily influenced by her Protestant friends- dessert after dinner was gluttony etc.

  14. MFKeane

    What about setting up a school bus system and getting all the idling school-run cars off the roads?

    1. SOQ

      Well that is what happens up north- the state provide a free school bus run across most roads. Given the traffic flow differential on dates between school and non- I doubt if many would object.

      Apart from the consultancy fees beforehand of course, and then, there is the fact that it MUST be ‘for profit’ so the children will need to pay as well.

  15. Truth in the News

    The great carbon fantasy, will all the present state owned transport fleet be electrified
    ie state cars, police and army vehicles, will Micheal D Higgins or Leo take the Bus or
    LUAS even the DART or go by BIKE
    There will be a revolt about all of this and the fantasy politics espoused by the Green Lobby
    will seen for what it is, will Eamon Ryan take the Bike rather than the LUAS, or will Ciaran
    Cuffe row down the Irish Sea to get to Brussells …..?…..Flann O’Brien if still around would
    have a field day……yes the Lunatics have taken over the Asylum:

  16. Ian-O

    Lets call this what it is.

    Bullshine. Presented by the soulless master of it.

    There will be announcements, there will be legislation but as for any actual changes?

    Nope. Expect to see big tax breaks for those who have cash, be assured the lesser well off will shoulder the largest portion of the bill, because that’s all this will boil down to – more charges, more taxes.

    1. eoin

      The climate minister, the shady Richard Bruton was asked about the farming sector which contributes 33% to all green house gases in Ireland. How is the govt tackling that? Well, they’ll be planting more trees! Seriously. So, the public which produces 10% of greenhouse gases will be taxed and forced into buying electric cars, while the farmers can sit back and watch the trees grow?

          1. Cian

            Fine, the public is responsible for
            – Residential 9.5%
            – Public Services 1.5%
            – Transport 19.8% (most of this)
            – Energy industries 19.3% (e.g. electricity generation – a lot of this)
            – Agriculture 33.3% (about 2% of this – the meat we consume. The other 31% is exported)

          2. Al Bin Man

            Not a word about the cement sector and associated pre building phase emissions from materials

            Produces 11% of emissions according to world green building council

            You were really caught with your pants down there Cian- you know what I’m talking about

  17. postmanpat

    Most of the office workers shouldn’t have to commute into town to do their jobs. With a new technology, it think its called the “internet”, people can do admin work from home and “E”-mail the work into an office. Its great technology altogether, I predict by 2005 most office work can be done from home and most private businesses, hospitals and the civil service will be paperless. We just need the “internet” speed, or “bandwidth” as the tech people call it to be at a minimum rate of 1 megabyte a second to handle all the Microsoft word and excel files. Some even think we might be able to communicate by video chat on our desk top computers. Its a no brainer, its good for the environment and the population . Only antiquated business interests could hold back the progress. still using paper in 2010 ?. ha !!! that will be the day………

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