Rent reform: is immediate pain worth uncertain gains?
Rent reform: the announcement of Minister for Housing James Browne's plans to change the rules around rent pressure zones dominated the week. Will the Government's gamble on investment pay off? And why was the rollout so haphazard?
Adjustments to residential property tax received less attention but the changes also carry political risk.
Israel's attacks on Iran add further uncertainty to a fraught geopolitical moment.
Anti-immigrant riots in Northern Ireland: was the violence exacerbated by political interventions?
Plus the panel pick their favourite Irish Times articles of the week, including
a reflection on 1980s Ireland's strange treatment of women
,
a critique of Irish media's coverage of a controversial issue
and
how social media firms used the 'like' button to turbocharge their business models
.
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Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
The difference between ‘net zero' emissions and ‘temperature neutrality'
Climate scientists have challenged the view that prioritising 'temperature neutrality' as a revised approach to meeting climate targets is merited. This is because insufficient reductions of greenhouse gases would be achieved. It is considered a get-out-of-jail card for big livestock-producing countries with high methane emissions such as Ireland, they say, because it endorses an approach that shifts policy to containing 'additional global warming'. Getting to net zero emissions is much more demanding than keeping temperatures where they are right now. 'Temperature neutrality is essentially a political choice to take current levels of warming as 'acceptable' while committing not to increase them,' said University of Galway researcher Dr Colm Duffy. READ MORE 'For methane, this is particularly problematic. Because of its short atmospheric lifespan, future warming is determined by future emissions, meaning the temperature framing effectively carves out a long-term methane emissions space for the country adopting it.' Methane is a potent short-lived climate pollutant with a much higher warming impact than CO² over 20 years, but it only lasts about a decade in the atmosphere. 'It is simultaneously a huge threat, but also our greatest lever for actually lowering temperatures. CO² is essentially up there forever,' he adds. [ Ireland can reduce impact of extreme climate events by transforming economy, experts suggest Opens in new window ] In short, stabilisation is temporary due to shifting global methane background levels. 'This means the temperature neutrality [scenario] is essentially a moving target, which is not something you want to pin climate policy on.' As Dr Róisín Moriarty of University College Cork 's Sustainability Institute says, with less than three years of 'global carbon budget' remaining to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, and a 50 per cent chance of achieving it, countries need to do as much as they possibly can on the issue. A carbon budget is the total amount of emissions that may be released in an effort to contain global warming. In Ireland, five-year legally binding carbon budgets are in place, applying to all sectors including agriculture. The Climate Change Advisory Council put forward this new concept. The independent body, which advises the Government, claims it is in line with the Paris Agreement. Moreover, it based carbon budget modelling and subsequent advice around future carbon budgets on it. While the council has indicated there is nothing stopping the Government from being more ambitious, it will not advise on a higher level of ambition. In June, the council told the Oireachtas climate committee it 'considers climate neutrality to mean that Ireland is no longer contributing to the increase in global temperatures by 2050'. [ Move to ease climate targets criticised for allowing continued high methane emissions ] This aligns with the national climate objective of transitioning to a climate-resilient, biodiversity-rich, and environmentally sustainable economy, it said. 'Achieving this involves balancing greenhouse gas emissions with their removal from the atmosphere, effectively stopping Ireland's contribution to rising global temperatures.' It said improved analysis of mitigation options were used for the new proposal, targeting temperature neutrality pathways rather than an overreliance on as-yet unproven technologies such as carbon capture and storage. The approach has not been adopted by Government, though the Department of Agriculture favours including temperature models in scenario planning. The council said its Carbon Budgets Working Group assessed 1,196 scientifically based emissions scenarios that were developed for consistency with Ireland's national climate objective. In Dr Duffy's opinion, however, temperature neutrality 'shifts the goalposts on ambition and passes the buck on climate mitigation, while essentially claiming the opposite. 'From an EU perspective, such a [scenario] could be seen as a backslide on commitments, with potential political and reputational implications,' Dr Duffy adds.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘Israel, stop killing journalists': Protest held in Dublin after killing of Gaza reporters
More than 250 people attended a protest outside the GPO in Dublin on Monday evening organised in response to the killing by Israeli forces of six Palestinian journalists in Gaza . The Al Jazeera journalists, including prominent reporter Anas Al Sharif, were killed in a targeted drone attack on their tent near Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military said it carried out the attack, accusing Mr Sharif of leading a Hamas cell, an allegation he had previously denied. To chants of 'Israel, stop killing journalists; Israel, stop killing civilians; Israel, stop killing children', Emma O Kelly of the broadcasting branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) called for those present to make noise in protest at attempts to silence their work. READ MORE NUJ Irish secretary Séamus Dooley said the protest was 'hugely important' and there was a danger in underestimating the power of solidarity. He said other events had been organised by journalists in Belfast, Derry and Edinburgh, which was important. Séamus Dooley, Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists, taking part in the protest on O'Connell Street in Dublin on Monday. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni Mr Dooley said he had been talking to colleagues at Al Jazeera and they were 'taking great heart from this'. 'We're not foolish enough to think that it's going to change anything on its own. But is a powerful symbol and I think it's the fact that so many people are turning up is important.' He added that 'what happened was shocking', but the NUJ and International Federation of Journalists had been highlighting 'Israel's targeting of journalists for many years'. Palestinian journalist Dr Asad Abushark said he knew Mr Sharif, who was one of more than 200 journalists killed by Israel's forces since the war began. [ Constant threat of targeting and dire conditions take toll as deaths in Gaza of Palestinian journalists spiral Opens in new window ] 'Every day they are killing. They don't want journalists to tell the truth about the butchering and mass killing,' he said. The protest was also attended by representatives of other trade unions. Greg Kerr, secretary of the INTO's Palestine Ambassadors Group, said 'the Irish Government is not doing nearly enough' and the Occupied Territories Bill 'needs to be passed ASAP'. A large contingent of pro-Palestine activists waved flags and led the crowd in chants of 'from the rivers to the sea, Palestine will be free'. Earlier, Tánaiste Simon Harris encouraged protests in Israel against the Netanyahu administration, saying he wanted people to differentiate between the government of Israel and the Israeli people. Mr Harris, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, repeatedly referenced the protests against the intensification of the military campaign in Gaza announced by the Israeli government at the weekend. Asked if he would encourage the protests, he said: 'I encourage everybody to use their voice and speak up and speak out against what is genocidal activity in Gaza. [ Israel has 'no choice' but to attack Gaza City, says Netanyahu, as hostage families call strike Opens in new window ] 'There is no doubt in my mind there must be so many people in Israel disgusted at the actions of their government.' Mr Harris said he had been involved in positive recent conversations with Arab nations and European countries around a plan for the future of Gaza. '[It is] a plan that has no future for Hamas, none whatsoever. The Palestinian Authority is clear about that, Arab nations are clear about that, the European Union is clear about that: Hamas can have no future in the running of Gaza,' he said. 'But you can't get to this point of the future of Gaza until the killing stops, until the genocide stops, until they stop starving children and the hostages are, of course, released.' Asked about the Occupied Territories Bill, Mr Harris said it had not been sufficiently acknowledged that Slovenia had recently decided to similarly ban trade with illegal Israeli settlements and Belgium had signalled its intention to do so. He said commentary from abroad made it appear Ireland was alone in pursuing such a course of action, but he was pleased to see a growing number of EU countries 'who recognise that the International Court of Justice matters and what it says matters and international law matters'. [ Occupied Territories Bill: US Congress group asks that Ireland be added to list of countries boycotting Israel Opens in new window ] The Government, he continued, would proceed with the legislation, which was about the illegally occupied territories and not about trade with Israel. There is nervousness in Government circles about the potential economic cost of a growing campaign against the Bill among US politicians , while pro-Palestinian campaigners were seeking to have the scope of the legislation expanded. Asked about the possible inclusion of services in the scope of the Bill – which could hit companies like Airbnb – Mr Harris said he expected decisions to be made when the next Dáil term begins in the autumn. He said Government decisions 'will be grounded on the advice of the Attorney General'.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘Don't underestimate this guy': Who is Gareth Sheridan, the pharma millionaire running for president?
Gareth Sheridan is, in one respect, the face of the impact of Donald Trump's tariffs. The share price of Nutriband, the business he cofounded in 2012, has dropped by almost 10 per cent in the past month, affected by the US tariffs uncertainty. For the year to date, it's still up by 57 per cent and the pharma company has a market value of $80 million (€69 million) – it was valued at $100 million in January. Nutriband has yet to generate any revenue and is awaiting US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its technology, which is designed to prevent abuse of patch medications. Sheridan has talked about the technology in the second quarter of next year, if not before, subject to FDA approval. READ MORE Sheridan wants to be the next president of Ireland, having announced his plans to seek the nomination through local councils. He needs the support of four local authorities to get on the ballot paper. The 35-year-old, from Terenure, south Dublin, lacks the support from the Oireachtas of Mairéad McGuinness or Catherine Connolly , or the name recognition of Michael Flatley or Conor McGregor , both of whom have indicated interest in running for the office. As an unaffiliated unknown, the road to Áras an Uachtaráin looks to be a long one for the entrepreneur. The challenge gets tougher when you consider that Seán Gallagher's second-place finish in 2011, with 28.5 per cent of first preference votes, is the best performance by any candidate to go the council route in the election. Gallagher, as it happens, is executive chairman of Nutriband. [ Pharma businessman Gareth Sheridan enters presidential race as Independents compete for nominations ] The Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) graduate's lack of name recognition or party support means that even getting on the ballot is a daunting prospect. It's one that he has likely prepared for, says Dr Siobhán Killion, head of management at TU Dublin's school of management, people, and organisations. 'Don't underestimate this guy,' Killion says. 'I mentioned his name to a few people on Sunday. They didn't have a clue who he was. His biggest obstacle is to become known, but he's no fool and he'll rise to the challenge. There'll be very few people in Ireland come November that won't have heard of him. 'He's such a busy guy, but it doesn't surprise me. He seems to be the king of time management. He's very much on top of his game.' Sheridan did his undergraduate degree at TU Dublin while in the process of establishing Nutriband. 'It was at the expense of my grades,' he told The Irish Times in February. 'My dad wears a patch for heart medication. I figured patch technology could be expanded. As I wrote my thesis, it felt more like a business plan,' he says. Killion got to know him at TU Dublin. 'He knows how to juggle commitments. His ability to keep all the balls in the air successfully is something he's got in spades,' she says. 'He was the guy that didn't attend classes because he was working on his business idea. That's okay because not everybody's academic journey is the same. He did what he needed to do to get where he needed to be.' Killion has stayed in contact with Sheridan since, inviting him back to speak to students in TU Dublin. 'Gareth, being an alum of TU Dublin, has freely given his time to encourage entrepreneurship among our students. Any time I've reached out to him, he's come back without hesitation to help,' she says. 'He's a great mentor to students. These are undergrads, your typical 20-year-olds, and he's in there with them advising and encouraging them.' In February, Sheridan said his goal was to 'put manners' on the largest pharmaceutical companies in the US. Nutriband has developed a system to change the way patches of painkillers such as fentanyl and other opiates work. The aim is to reduce abuse and prevent risk of accidental exposure. 'They're competitors. We're coming in aggressively and to put manners on an industry that has ignored a major issue for a long time. I am baffled that the industry has let prescription rates drop so much without attempting a fix,' he said at the time. The route to getting the business off the ground and on to the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York involved Sheridan working in food delivery and other gig economy roles to keep the company functioning while awaiting approval to get listed. The company is based in Orlando, Florida, and he has resided in Salt Lake City, Utah, his wife's home city, but is in the process of moving back to Dublin. Sheridan documented his journey in his autobiography, From No to Nasdaq, which came out earlier this year. The bullish approach came as no surprise to Aonghus Shortt, cofounder of FoodMarble. Shortt's company is working on gut health, having raised €8 million to date. He met Sheridan in 2022. 'He approached me via LinkedIn. He was listed on Nasdaq [in 2021] and for a company that size it was somewhat unprecedented among Irish start-ups. I'm sure one million people told him it was a horrible idea, but he made it work,' Shortt says. 'When we met up, he was encouraging me to consider listing. We didn't, but I was impressed he did. He's a very confident guy and an independent thinker. I found him quite impressive.' Sheridan is stepping back from his role with Nutriband, where he owns 18 per cent of the business, during his presidential run. Were he to win, he would have to remain detached from the company. His co-founder, Serguei Melnik, is taking charge in his absence. 'He [Sheridan] seems nice and transparent, but what he did [with Nutriband] was audacious. It's weathered some storms,' Shortt says. 'It's another audacious move. It's not a very big company or stock, so it's not like all eyes in the US will be on what he does, but you can imagine some shareholders might be wondering why he's doing this.' Sheridan is one of 24 finalists chosen to compete for the title of EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards. He has been chosen along with seven others in the established category. The winner of that category would then vie with the two other category winners (emerging and international) for the overall title. One of Nutriband's shareholders is Jim Breen. The PulseLearning founder met Sheridan on an EY Entrepreneur of the Year CEO retreat to Japan earlier this year. Breen was a nominee in 2007. 'There were around 140 of us in Japan for a week. It was my first time meeting him. He's got a special kind of mentality that mixes humility with confidence. He's a learner, but he's also experienced. The part that impressed me most was that he's had knock-backs, but has resilience about him,' Breen says. Having invested in the company based on that meeting in Japan, Breen acknowledges that it is less than optimal to have Sheridan stepping away from the business for a run at the Áras. 'It's not ideal from an investor perspective. However, he's got the thing well thought through. A Nasdaq-listed company has a team of people in place, it doesn't depend on just one person,' Breen says. 'With some things in business and life, you just work them out.' A spokesman for Sheridan told The Irish Times that he 'holds dual citizenship' for the US and Ireland. A statement said: 'As regards holding or contesting for the office of president of Ireland there are clear precedents regarding Ireland-USA dual citizenship holders. 'In 1959, Éamon de Valera , a USA citizen (by birth), was nominated and elected president of Ireland.' On Newstalk on Monday Sheridan denied he had renounced allegiance to Ireland as the oath on taking up US citizenship requires. Queried by The Irish Times, his spokesman acknowledged that 'as tens of thousands of Irish people before him faced with the choice of being undocumented or 'legal' in the US, Gareth Sheridan was 'naturalised', taking dual citizenship, he pledged allegiance to the USA. That to him meant allegiance while resident in the US, albeit involving renouncing his allegiance to any other 'power'. 'However, he and all Irish people of dual citizenship with the USA continue to be Irish citizens. While residing in the US for seven years he retained and used his Irish passport. He and his family are now legal residents of Ireland.' Perhaps there is an echo of de Valera's 'empty formula' taking the oath of allegiance on entering the Dáil in 1926. But otherwise, following in de Valera's footsteps appears a long shot. He first needs to get himself on the ballot paper, which will be challenging in itself. But Sheridan has never lacked ambition in business and he will seek to apply his skills as an entrepreneur to the political arena. Additional reporting by Pat Leahy
