In today’s Examiner, PJ Rudden estimates the costs of changing government waste policy (as opposed by the ESRI) at around 2.5 billion euro and warns that environmental quality may deteriorate too. As Rudden points out in Friday’s Times, his cost estimate omits the damage to Ireland’s reputation should the government decide not to honour the contract with Covanta, and indeed the cost of breaking the contract.
Category: Environment
Olivia Kelly had a remarkable sense of precognition in yesterday’s Irish Times. The Independent, the Examiner and Irish Times report again today. See also FinFacts.
Paul Gorecki sums it up nicely: There was only one valid criticism of the report and it did not change the substance of the report or its conclusions.
Here’s the abstract:
The report sets out an economic approach to municipal waste management policy in Ireland and then applies that framework to two recent policy developments. First, the proposed Section 60 policy direction to cap incineration and other matters, and second, the international review of waste management policy. These complementary policy developments sponsored by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government are designed to provide a roadmap for a new municipal waste management policy. The report questions whether these developments provide a coherent and feasible basis on which to develop waste policy. Indeed, apart from some unexceptional lessons which are consistent with current waste management policy, implementation of these proposals and recommendations is likely to lower societal welfare and increase the chances that Ireland will miss important Landfill Directive targets with consequent EU fines. The report puts forward a number of suggestions consistent with raising societal welfare while at the same time meeting the Landfill Directive targets.
The report was previously discussed here.
Update: The IWMA still does not accept the ESRI waste projections (even though EPA and DEHLG do).
Update2: Dr Dominic Hogg of Eunomia continues to think that the ESRI is wrong.
Update3: Minister Gormley argues that the international review is flawless.
The German municipality of Niederzimmern does not have the money to fix potholes. They are now selling the right to fix the road to anyone. In return, the owner of the fixed pothole can put on the road a text of her choice.
(from today’s Volkskrant)
Following an apparent revival of the Spirit of Ireland on Monday, it’s now Organic Power‘s turn to look into pumped hydro to store electricity, using salt water and the Atlantic Ocean as the lower reservoir. I have not changed my mind during the week or indeed the year, but Organic Power works at a more realistic scale than Spirit of Ireland; Organic Power works with experienced people; and it is does not seem to be looking for public subsidies.
Best of luck to them. Let’s hope their current investigations spring a surprise.
From today’s Guardian
The Irish government continues to aim for 10% by 2020, which would be 230,000 or so cars