Page 2 – community ideas for reducing car dependency

Part 1: Is social mobility in Ireland falling and why does that matter?

Biological evolution gave humans a fairness instinct, and cultural evolution has promoted fairness above other competing values in the developed world because it critically enables complex cooperation, a crucial component for economic gain and rising living standards. Everyone has their own idea of which policies and ideas constitute “fairness” in a society and which are […]

5 things we need more than a 10th consecutive year of tax giveaways

The Irish government has consistently revised upwards the tax thresholds as part of its annual budgets since 2014. This means that the amount of income you can earn before paying higher tax rates has increased each year since 2014. This happened initially under a Fine Gael majority government and now happens as part of their […]

Significance of Air Pollution and Children’s Health

Long-Lasting effects Air pollution exposure in early childhood can have long-term consequences. Children who are born prematurely or with low birth weight because of a mother’s exposure to air pollution during pregnancy are at high risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, hypertension, and diabetes later in life (14, 15). Similarly, stunted lung growth caused by […]

Budget 2025 should focus on cooling the global temperature: We need a vehicle weight sales tax now.

Did you know, there has been a 1,000pc increase in SUV sales in Europe since 2001? The trends are the complete opposite of what climate action desperately needs and experts have warned that the Government must intervene to influence buyer choices. Small countries like Ireland who currently lead the charge on SUV ownership rates can […]

Part 2: Wealth inequality & housing: Blaming the migrants for a homegrown problem?

The question of a tax on extreme wealth comes up now and again in the Irish news cycle but never seems to gain any significant traction. Why is that? One thing we notice is as soon as someone mentions wealth taxes, hoards of people are quick to reply saying Ireland already has a plethora of […]

Projected Make-Up of EU Parliament Circle

European Elections 2024: Environmental Scorecard (Climate Action Network EUROPE)

With the upcoming European and local elections, migration is consistently cited as our biggest issue [1][2][3] but is it actually our greatest problem? Climate change is the single biggest threat to our existence and way of life in all of recorded human history. It is inextricably linked with everything from our life expectancy, food production, […]

We don´t need free public transport, we need a more frequent, more connected service

Transit is deeply deserving of public subsidy because its use produces societal benefits that economists call positive externalities, such as reduced emissions and traffic crashes, while also helping to achieve social goals related to equity. It is entirely appropriate for state, and local governments to provide financial support, particularly in ways that make transit service […]

Why we need more buses on the M50 and why it won´t happen

Whilst the court of public opinion is still out on the need for a complete revolution in terms of urban mobility towards mass scale public transport, the scientists and climate experts weighed in long ago on the need for a modal shift towards public transit. Ireland is going to need to make a complete paradigm […]

What is the Paris Agreement?

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change that was adopted in 2015. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015. It entered into force on 4 November 2016. [1] The Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goal is to keep the rise […]

Adding a bus route on Wainsfort Road, Terenure is a good idea, but not as simple as it appears.

Currently Planned BusConnects Network NETWORK MAP SUBMISSION: Park West/Cherry Orchard Train Station – City Centre (via Templeogue) This article was originally posted in December 2020 (amended November 2023). The proposed route is intended to supplement our S5 route proposal for an orbital bus on the R112 Templeville Road from Cherry Orchard/Walkinstown – Blackrock. Proposal:Addition of […]