The Blame Game: Rethinking Ireland's Sustainable Development and Environmental PerformanceIrish Academic Press, 2007 - 278 pages Dr Flynn covers all of the above questions and more in his new book The Blame Game. A must-read for anyone interested in environmental issues in Ireland. Ireland's record in the field of environmental protection is one of the worst in Europe, and this book explores the reasons why. It examines the evolution of Irish environmental policy over the so-called 'Celtic Tiger' years of Ireland's economic boom while looking to the future as well. It considers why Ireland's environmental performance has been so lacklustre during this period, and what scope exists for improvement. The emphasis is placed primarily on institutional aspects of Irish environmental policy. In particular, this book offers a strong critique of the current Irish style of reaching environmental decisions, an excessive dependence on legal instruments, and a weak Irish local government system. The author further argues that Ireland has developed an institutional style of policy-making that urgently needs reform. He suggest a number of discreet but related problems that need to be understood and addressed. These include an excessive adversarial style of interaction between environmentalists, the Irish state, and business - the 'blame game' described in the title. Also fatal, is a complacency among the Irish policy elite, who have chosen to downplay environmental problems and continue to think of environmental policy as merely about corrective regulation, rather than adopting the wider and more ambitious vision of sustainable development. Individual chapters cover a range of topics, and the book will appeal to readers interested in comparative environmental policy and politics, the role of institutions in environmental policy-making, or indeed anyone keen to understand the post 'Celtic Tiger' politics and society of an Ireland in transition.Ã?Â?Ã?Â? |
From inside the book
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Page 74
... example , the performance of both Portugal and Greece on energy efficiency is worse than Ireland . Portugal would also appear to have a higher level of hazardous waste generation per capita , and a greater dependence on motor cars ...
... example , the performance of both Portugal and Greece on energy efficiency is worse than Ireland . Portugal would also appear to have a higher level of hazardous waste generation per capita , and a greater dependence on motor cars ...
Page 123
... example , McDonald , F. ' Planners despair as profit drives new housing policy ' , The Irish Times , 16 March 2004 , and O'Brien , T. ' Almost 76,000 one - off houses constructed ' , The Irish Times , 7 November 2003 . 56. See , for ...
... example , McDonald , F. ' Planners despair as profit drives new housing policy ' , The Irish Times , 16 March 2004 , and O'Brien , T. ' Almost 76,000 one - off houses constructed ' , The Irish Times , 7 November 2003 . 56. See , for ...
Page 155
... example , why just have a tax on plastic bags : why not upon all forms of non - biodegradable or non - reusable packaging ? And why just tax landfills without taxing waste generation and sources of waste in the first place ? Irish eco ...
... example , why just have a tax on plastic bags : why not upon all forms of non - biodegradable or non - reusable packaging ? And why just tax landfills without taxing waste generation and sources of waste in the first place ? Irish eco ...
Contents
A Comparative Critique | 40 |
A Brief History of Irish | 85 |
A Reform Agenda | 176 |
Copyright | |
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April argued Askeaton Available average blame game Bord Pleanála capita carbon tax CEC/Commission Celtic Tiger cent chapter CHART climate change CO₂ Commission controversial countries County Council Court debate DELG/Department Denmark Dublin Dúchas ecological modernization ecological modernization approach economic EEA/European Environment Agency emissions trading enforcement environmental issues environmental laws Environmental Performance environmental problems Environmental Protection environmentalists EPA/Environmental Protection Agency European Communities European Environment example Forfás funding Government Stationery Office Greece greenhouse gas greenhouse gas emissions Heritage Council IBEC implementation incineration increase industrial infrastructure institutional Ireland's environmental Irish authorities Irish environmental policy Irish environmentalists Irish government Kyoto landfill Luxembourg measures Minister monitoring motorway O'Brien OECD Office for Official Official Publications packaging waste political pollution Portugal Press Release public transport recycling reduce reform regulation regulatory renewable energy REPAK sector serious simply strategy sustainable development Taisce tonnes trends waste management Wexford