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A MEMBER OF Extinction Rebellion Ireland has been arrested following a protest against the fossil fuel industry in Dublin.
Some 20 climate activists held the protest outside the Clayton Burlington Hotel where the Atlantic Ireland Conference and Exhibition was being held by the Irish Shelf Petroleum Study Group.
As part of the protest, XRI poured 15 litres of fake blood on its members to represent the “blood on the hands of the oil corporations” who were attending the annual two-day event for the petro-chemical industry and research community.
An Garda Síochána said it responded to a “theft incident” at a hotel in the Dublin at approximately 1.30pm.
“A woman in her 20s was arrested and conveyed to Donnybrook Garda Station. The woman was released later today, pending further investigation. Investigations are ongoing.”
Speaking to TheJournal.ie following her release, the mother-of-one who was audibly upset said she was “peacefully disturbing” the conference.
She said she was scared for her child’s future and “scared the government will continue to work with the fossil fuel industry”.
An XRI spokesperson said gardaí were responding to a theft incident as the woman ordered a pot of tea but “didn’t get a chance to pay for it before she was escorted out of the hotel”. XRI did not specify who had escorted the woman out.
Along with signs and fake blood, XRI protesters held a large drilling licence with a bloody handprint in an effort to “call attention to the relationship the Irish Government has with the petroleum industry”.
Seán Canney, Minister of State for Natural Resources, Community Affairs and Digital Development, gave the opening address at the conference yesterday, an address XRI claims had no mention of climate change.
Canney says that claim was “not at all correct”.
In a copy of a speech seen by TheJournal.ie, Canney said the government continues to be committed to exploration of all natural resources, “while respecting sustainable development principles” but that gas remains an important transition fuel.
On the government’s climate action plan he said:
The Plan will inevitably result in a reduction in Ireland’s use of fossil fuels and the government is cognisant that this will have an impact on exploration investment offshore Ireland. My officials are working hard to establish policy principals to inform your companies’ investment decisions. However, I know that many of you here today also have energy interests beyond oil and gas and I am sure this Plan will also present you with new opportunities for innovation and investments in renewable technologies.
XRI is calling on the government to enact climate change legislation and to revoke all oil and gas prospecting licences.
“We don’t want to condemn people. We understand that the people inside the building behind me, the oil executives, they’re human beings as well,” XRI member Fabian McGinty-O’Neill said.
“We’re not trying to promote any sort of aggression against them. We just think they need to realise the error of their ways. We as a group of people have the power to push back against major corporations that are condemning us to a very uncertain future.”
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They must all have a lot of annual leave to take from their jobs…..
@Charlie B: they own the companies they’re employers
@Charlie B: do you work every day? Is there a chance they’re just off today?
@Charlie B: The same stupid narrative. “Only the unemployed have time to care that the earth’s climate is in crisis.” You’ll find that most protesters are very well educated and fully understand the science involved. They are more likely to be employed than deniers. Some will be shift workers, some have taken leave, some may be students etc…
@Charlie B: It’s the ol’ FFG mantra of label anyone that gets off their arse and protests as scroungers. How utterly unoriginal.
@Charlie B: annual leave? They’re all students. It’s obvious!
@Colm O’Leary: you do know you can zoom in in the pic above yeah? Not to be too presumptive as you can be a student at any age but v unlikely they’re “all” students. But out of curiosity does that lessen their point in some way?
@Charlie B: ok they make their point, but don’t find how the do it very appealing to say the least..
Think they would do far better dressed as trees or dolphins…they certainly don’t seem to be winning the public over,going by the comments here..
I hope they all walked there
@classic: whatever their carbon footprint, I’m confident its lower than yours
@classic: Cant believe the abuse they get. Fair play to them for trying to make a difference. When our grandkids cities are under water they will look back and see how we mocked those who tried to make a difference. This isn’t a conspiracy theory. Its science.
@Sledro: Its not the science that a lot of people reject, its this bunch of self appointed condescending know it alls, that is annoying most people. Middle and upper class wannabes.
Their actions take away from the cause and its more about self publicity and self indulgence than anything else.
We made a difference yes they do , they make more people hate the subject completely and everyone involved.
We dont need to be taught it by some smug mob like this lot
social misfits looking for some attention
@Greg Daniel: To be fair I think they earnestly believe what they’re saying, however they’re creating and perpetuating a kind of mass hysteria and cherry picking from the available science to support this.
In a calm and reasoned debate most of us would probably agree that pollution and mankind are not doing the environment any favours, and this in turn is having a negative impact upon many aspects of our environment including our climate.
@Arch Angel: actually, the fast majority of experts keep on warning us that time is running out fast and action long overdue. That’s not cherry picking, those are the facts as we know them.
Everything points towards an acceleration of climate change, rather then anything else. These, mostly young, people are far from hysterical. They are fighting for their future and that of their children.
Only the idiot climate deniers cherry pick so they can pretend to be rational and balanced.
@Arch Angel: and I think most people agree that while we should be transitioning to sustainable energy we should use what we have.
Hell if we weren’t so stupid nationalising and selling the gas to people could directly fund renewable energy
@Mark V: Some of the founders of this group, like Roger Hallam, have made some claims like “our children are going to die in the next 10 to 20 years”. While we can agree with climate change, claims like this have no basis in fact and it’s fair to say are scaremongering.
Other members of this group have made claims of billions of deaths this century due to rising sea levels, yet the UNIPCC have said that we can expect to sea levels to rise by half a metre in the same time period. Damaging and likely to accelerate, yes but manageable in that timeframe.
Most of the experts agree that climate change is happening, and we’re at the point where it may be too late to reverse it. Making grossly exaggerated claims does nobody any favours in this argument and may have the result of turning people’s opinion against climate change.
I personally believe that climate change is extremely worrying and many aspects of our lives can be changed to help mitigate it’s effects, but making hysterical exaggerated claims isn’t one of them.
@Arch Angel: According to the BMA about 40000 people die every year as a direct consequence of pollution. What you call hysteria, kills millions around the word.
They’re still at it? Id love to have whatever job they have.
@Ed: Then educate yourself.
@Ed: you know there are a couple of thousand involved in XR Ireland, right? The vast majority do have jobs which is why only small numbers can turn out at each event. It means that these are more than likely not the same people involved in the last event. I know. Thinking might hurt your head, but you should try it. Eventually it gets easier and you can start to see the world in full colour, rather than the black and white you have.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: How dare you make light of my being colourblind
Peacefully disturbing?
Easy to give them all stick but does anyone have a recommendation as how they should highlight the biggest issue facing our planet?
@Kev: Liberate captive teapots everywhere!
@Clifford Brennan: I dont want to assume all these people doing the slating dont care about the biggest issue facing our planet but Clifford here sure ain’t helping
@Kev: I know this might be a bit radical but a add in the paper . You don’t have to be a dick to get everyone’s attention
@Kev: It’s a slippery slope when you start attesting people carrying out a peaceful protest of any description. Orwellian Police state Dystopia, anyone?
@John Errity: So, don’t like water charges, simply place a newspaper advert and that’s it sorted.
@John Errity: paper ad sounds good but why does having a demonstration make you a dick?
@Paraic: then why are people here so sure of themselves in slipping down the slope?
@Kev: Not sure what your mean. A slippy slope only goes one way though.
The picture above is like an ISIS propaganda beheading picture.Sickos and terrorists go hand and hand together.
@Michael Maher: so peaceful protestors are comparable to ISIS? Ok
@GMCManning: look at their stunt its the same as an ISIS pic
@GMCManning: no it’s not. They bought the blood and no one died. Need me to draw a picture for you?
@GMCManning: They are looking for the same shock value and instead it looks like its for halloween
Are they holding a globe to inform people that we live on a planet. WOW
@Gary Kearney: decapitating innocent people holds the same shock value for you some people dousing themselves in animal blood they bought? Need to introduce some shades of grey to your life kid all that black and white must get v dull
This is a case of the over educated and the over privileged getting their pants in a knot over things they think they understand. You only have to listen to their Ernest pleas on tv and their double barreled names. I mean how middle class is Fabian McGinty-O’Neill doesn’t sound like they’ve gone a day in their lives without. Clearly all students! Until you stop places like the USA and China politics g it’s all going to mean squat!!!
@Colm O’Leary: The US isn’t doing anything because it’s using the same excuse as you. “Until China does something, there’s no point in the US doing anything”. But China is 9 years ahead of its Paris climate accord goals. Meanwhile, Ireland is the worst offender in Europe, even though there are 20 countries in Europe that have smaller populations than us. Why should they they bother? Why should China be the only country making major improvements? They’re pointing the finger at the US and Europe.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2211366-china-is-on-track-to-meet-its-climate-change-goals-nine-years-early/
@Colm O’Leary: no such thing as “over-educated” and saying so speaks to what’s lacking in yours.
@GMCManning: Actually there is. Education for the point of it is a total waste of time. Spending all you time in education gives you a narrow viewpoint as you have less real world experience outside academia.
THe snobbery in your comment shows this.
@Paraic: “The US isn’t doing anything”
That’s simply not true, since 2005 America has significantly reduced it carbon emissions, largely by substituting gas for coal. In fact, no country has reduced their emissions more then the US in that time, next in line is the UK.
Also, despite the Trump admin taking the US out of the Paris accord their emission reduction has continued although admittedly at a slower pace.
The caveat is that America is still the highest emitter bar China and 11th on a per capita basis.
While the US has been reducing it’s emissions, China and India have been increasing theirs and quite considerably too.
We all must do our bit but if China and India continue in the current vein it will be impossible to reach global targets.
@Gary Kearney: also not true. You can be educated and have plenty of “real life” experience. And associating snobbery with education is your problem kid not mine.
How dare they discriminate against my high carbon lifestyle
Meanwhile Trump wants to pilfer oil from Syria and no one complains or gets arrested: https://tinyurl.com/y2ow8tnv
@Paraic: Off you go then with your placard—-to Syria
@John Mc Donagh: Trump is in the US.
I wonder what was the carbon footprint of the Garda that were called, the council that had to clean up their mess and the public that was put out by pointless and carbon multiply protesters.
Arseholes
@John Walsh: cheek of em getting off their posteriors and trying to make a difference.
Stop encouraging these people. why do they get so much publicity. And cause so much havoc. We have enough other problems to sort out in the short term. Most governments around the world are making changes to their policy’s to stop climate change. You can’t just wave a magic wand FFS
Who attacked them… My thoughts are with them and their families…..
@popeye Doyle: My thoughts are with all the insects used to make that dye. Of course it could be just the coal or petroleum based stuff.
@OConnelj: Cool story. Are killing or oil the only 2 things you understand or something??? Never heard of vegetable dye?
@Paraic: yep thats the only two things i under
@OConnelj: yep that’s the only two thing’s I understand. Oh i also understand red dye and how it’s produced.
@OConnelj: It would appear not. “Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_dye
…”from plant sources—roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood—and other biological sources such as fungi and lichens.”
@Paraic: Well if they sourced vegetable based red dye for their little demo fair play. The guy in the big red bomber jacket has a few questions to answer though. :)
@OConnelj: Yeah, and those water charge protesters with their bodies made up of 80% water. *Rolls eyes*
@Paraic: Changing the narrative is always a good play Paraic.. Kudos to you.
@OConnelj: Just pointing out the petty nature of your initial comment. Basically you’re implying that people who protest because of the inaction of government with respect to the climate crisis, can’t protest unless they use 100% natural and vegan materials. It just displays your ignorance of the subject. CO2 output is the driver of climate change. The source is burning nonrenewable fossil fuels. It makes little difference if the guy in the jacket is wearing a vegetable dye red cotton coat or if it’s a by product of the petroleum industry that would otherwise be dumped. But hey, your “hippie nonsense” narrative is what’s important, not the fact that our children and grandchildren will inherit our mess.
@Paraic: I just can’t abide hypocrisy. And just to be clear i agree that us humans are destroying our planets ability to sustain human life. Planet earth will recover once we are gone.
@popeye Doyle: facetious once more. Is that all you have?
@OConnelj: I don’t see any hipocracy with respect to the protest, just you making assumptions about protesters. Change needs to be implemented at government level. Sometimes we don’t know what’s best for us and need to be told. The vast majority now support the plastic carrier bag levy for example, but beforehand, it was just another tax scam. Not everyone protesting is a tree hugger. Many just want alternatives fossil fuels to be supported at government level because CO2 is genuinely destroying the Earth’s climate. I feel the same way about hipocracy as you. We’ve all had a hippie lecture us about our use of something or other, only for them to then drive away in a cloud of blue smoke, coming from their clapped out 1988 ford transit.
@Paraic: The earth will recover eventually. I have no sympathy for us humans, we made our bed!!
@OConnelj: I actually agree with you. Judging by Journal comments, there will not be enough buy in to slow climate change down, let alone reverse it. The so called “hockey stick” graph is very alarming, because too me it looks like a phenomena called “thermal runaway” in Engineering, which is caused by a broken feedback loop. The outcome is never good.
@Paraic: Co2 is not destroying the planet, its feeding the plant life. talk about a drama queen. Climate change always happens. Over 40 predictions over the last few decades and nothing has happened.
@brendan H: Nothing has happened? Get a grip. California is burning, South Africa is almost out of water and it hasn’t rained in parts of Australia for almost 7 years. The global average temperature has risen by 1.5 degrees. Sea levels have risen by several centimeters, CO2 ppm has passed the 400 mark. People died in Japan and Bermuda. 10s of thousands died in heatwaves in Europe, the poles are melting, then there were floods, Cat 5 hurricanes, super-typhoons …. Also, you are so stupid that you think plants will benefit from CO2 even though rising CO2 will cause drought. Didn’t they teach you that plants need water in idiot school?
All those cats they would have been milking if not at the protest, that’s at least 15 cats saved from the communist wrist twist
The problem with this is that not all fossil fuels are created equal.
If Ireland was to switch all it’s oil boiler to gas tomorrow and stopped burning coal at in favour of gas we would met all our required emission reductions targets, this would have to be done along with the additional planned installation of renewable energy.
During the transition the work then can be done on introducing meaningful amounts of green gas from agricultural and carbon captured and storage.
The solutions for Ireland require working with fossil fuels not against them but XR seem to think the opposite and it’s fantasy thinking.
@Rory Mac Daibhéid: Did you ever stop to consider, that nonrenewable means, it will run out.
@Rory Mac Daibhéid: _conventional_ natural gas produces less CO2 per unit energy than coal as long as the infrastructure doesn’t leak too much. I’m not sure how it compares with oil. “_Fracked_“ gas is a different animal. Where it is extracted (damaging the health of local residents), elevated levels of methane in the air point to it actually being worse than coal in terms of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy. The proposed liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal on the Shannon estuary would import fracked gas from the US.
@Paraic: I have as I have qualifications in renewables. Gas is the back up to wind and allows Ireland operate it’s electricity on varying levels of wind and info ghe future most likely PV also.
There is plans to make renewable gas and also hydrogen from renewables. This is where gas is essential in the low carbon future for Ireland.
Anyone that tells you otherwise is likely misguided.
@Stephen Troake: that’s a good point. The ‘funny’ thing is if we import fracked gas we will account for the same level as gas produced here. Ideally we should get gas from off our coast. Use this to replace money point and oil usage.
Oil is a higher carbon emitter than gas. Gas is actually half the co2 of electricity currently .
Its looks like we met end up importing fracked gas from the US and this is very bad for the environment.
Not sure XR can be mature enough to say actually let’s explore for Irish gas , non fracked , and use the gains to increase renewables and add CCS.
@Rory Mac Daibhéid: Yeah, volume-for-volume, conventional domestic NG would likely do less harm than fracked gas from anywhere. I wish I knew more about this. Where is Ireland looking to get its base load going forwards? It’s a shame that nuclear is a hard sell at the moment and has high startup costs and lead-in times. French nuclear at peak demand?
I’ll just leave this here….
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=YRvPNSzbLBU
Sorry Soros written all over them,
Idiots
This will be the least of your worries when the Rapture comes. Jesus is coming very soon. We have the expected end time convergence happening in the World.
I agree with a lot of their fears about what is happening to the Earth, fossil fuel etc., but this is a very ‘Studenty’ and rather aggressive [passive aggressive] way of airing their concerns, stopping traffic in the city while people are going to hospital, work, and now this. This is quite traumatic and upsetting for many and a few good speakers getting on Primetime would be much better but they are a type. PETA was a good organisation but started antics like this and lost my support. They are not doing themselves or the Earth any favours. Infact they are irritating people now.
have your say