Irelands Transition to Renewable Energy

national | miscellaneous | news report Friday October 04, 2002 11:11 by dp - Feasta feasta at anu dot ie

A major conference to be held at the Tipperary Institute, Thurles, Co Tipperary,

Is it true that humanity has already used almost half of all the oil on the planet, with the result that it will rapidly become scarce in the next twenty years? If so, can gas and coal fill the resulting energy gap, or do we no option but to switch to renewables and/or nuclear energy?

How soon should Ireland begin making a whole-hearted switch to a 100% renewable-energy powered economy? 'Now' says petroleum geologist Colin Campbell, 'oil will soon be expensive and scarce'. Immediately, says global strategist Dan Plesch, 'no country should risk having its transport system dependent on fuel supplies from highly unstable parts of the world like the Caspian Basin and the Middle East.' There's no rush, says James Frowd of Shell Oil.

All three will be speaking at 'Ireland's Transition to Renewable Energy' the most ambitious conference Feasta has yet attempted. It opens at the Tipperary Institute, Thurles, on October 31st and runs for three days. Other topics include whether renewables can provide enough energy for economic growth to be able to continue except at a snail's pace, and the implications of a switch to renewables for farmers and others living in rural areas.

A major conference to be held at the Tipperary Institute, Thurles, Co Tipperary, 30-31st October and 1-2nd November, 2002 Anyone interested in attending should check the Feasta website now for full details. http://www.feasta.org

FEASTA;
The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability
159 Lower Rathmines Road.Dublin 2
Tel: +353 (0)1 4912773
Fax: +353 (0)1 4912203
mailto:feasta@anu.ie
http://www.feasta.org