Meabh Cormacain
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meabhcormacain.bsky.social
Meabh Cormacain
@meabhcormacain.bsky.social
150 followers 360 following 83 posts
Energy nerd, policy on the side, trying to recreate a little bit of Brazil in Belfast and hoping we can look after the planet better than we've been doing
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
shaneir.bsky.social
#ShareTheShore just got real! @meabc.bsky.social Mid&East Antrim Council have launched a consultation on opening up long-denied pedestrian access to our beautiful forbidden beach.
www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/things-to-do... - please give your views (i.e. YES!!!).
Thanks, and please REPOST!
A beagle on a beach. The tide is out, the sun is shining, and the sky is a beautiful blue. Where would you rather be? #ShareTheShore is a hashtag adopted by local residents of Greenisland near Carrickfergus to campaign for access to our (i.e. owned by the Council) beach, that is currently closed off and inaccessible to residents who live a matter of metres away. We have to trespass or climb high forbidding fences just to access what is on our doorstep. We want residents and visitors to be able to experience the beauty of our shoreline, to be able to enjoy and care for our environment and neighbourhood. The benefits to physical and mental health, as well as a sense of community, are self-evident. Please visit the consultation, fill out the form, and say YES! Thank you! Oh, and share the heck out of this - we want as many people as possible to see this and #ShareTheShore https://www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/things-to-do/parks/countryside-access/public-right-of-way
May 15, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
cren1.bsky.social
Give this man a medal. He's doing a marathon 24-hour live radio show called Unexpected Number Twos, to highlight the problem of sewage pollution in our lakes rivers and seas. Leavened with songs that only reached Number 2 in the charts! Do send him a msg - he'd love to hear from you. #ourearthweek
November 14, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
stephencollins.bsky.social
Every ad now
[Scene is a kitchen - a middle aged woman called JANET is boiling peas at the stove. A younger more colourfully dressed woman named LIZ approached her.] JANET: Ugh... LIZ: What's up? JANET: I am so bored of cooking peas! LIZ: Have you tried... AI peas? JANET: AI peas? LIZ: They're peas with AI! [Liz holds up to us a packet of peas labelled: Pea-i AI - Peas with AI]. LIZ: Al-powered peas harness the potential of your peas JANET: What LIZ [Now a voiceover as we cut to a whizzy technology diagram of peas all connected by meaningless dotted lines] Why not take your peas to the next level with Al Peas' new Al tools to power your peas? [Show a techno diagram of a pea with a label reading 'AI' pointing to a random zone in it] LIZ: Each pea has Al in a way we haven't quite worked out yet but it's fine [Show Janet and Liz now in a Matrix-style world of peas] LIZ: With Al peas you can supercharge productivity and make AI work for your peas! JANET: What LIZ: Shut up LIZ: Our game-changing Pea-Al gives you the freedom to unlock the potential of the power of the future of your peas workflow From opening the bag of peas to boiling the peas to eating the peas To spending millions on adding Al to the peas and then having to work out what that even means. JANET: Is it really necessary to- LIZ [Grabbing Janet by the collar]: THE PEAS HAVE GOT AI, JANET [Cut to an advert ending screen, with the bag of peas and the slogan: AI PEAS: Just 'Peas' for god's sake buy the AI peas. [Ends]
November 13, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
loveballymena.online
November 12, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
womensartbluesky.bsky.social
The work of contemporary #printmaker Andrea Rich #womensart
Print featuring a lifelike black and blue bird perched on a diagonal twig against a hazy grey background
November 9, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
ketanjoshi.co
ACTUAL GOOD NEWS WARNING

65% of the planned coal capacity from 2015 ended up not existing, thanks almost entirely to climate policy and renewable energy construction

China is an outlier - but maybe not for long

@e3g.bsky.social

www.e3g.org/publications...
planned coal capacity No New Coal is now a global norm for the vast majority of countries 164 countries – covering more than two-thirds of the global economy – either have no planned coal in their project pipeline and/or have made a No New Coal commitment. The global pipeline of planned coal-fired power plant projects has collapsed by 65%, and 74% when excluding China, in the decade following the ratification of the Paris agreement. The shift is made possible by the growth of renewables. Solar and wind accounted for 87% of new capacity additions in 2024, while coal made up just 3%. Just 11 countries now account for 96% of new planned coal power. The remaining 4% is spread across 18 countries. This total of 29 countries still planning new coal is down from 65 a decade ago. In almost all of the countries still planning coal power, solar and wind capacity additions are exceeding coal and gas. Momentum on No New Coal continued in 2025 NDCs: Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Mauritius, Morocco, Singapore and the UK reiterated or made commitments to no new coal (see our NDC energy commitments tracker); Thailand cancelled its last planned coal plant; and Honduras committed to stop permitting new coal plants through new membership of the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA). Approximately 4 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions have been avoided every year of the last decade thanks to the collapse of planned coal capacity – equivalent to nearly one-third of China’s annual CO2 emissions. Planned coal levelling off outside the OECD; China remains an outlier Outside the OECD (excluding China), the number of planned coal projects has largely levelled off, with many shifting investments towards renewables. A few countries, such as India, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe, continue to expand their coal pipelines. Realising President Prabowo’s clean energy vision for Indonesia – based on announcements to close Indonesia’s coal fleet within 15 years, achieve 100% renewable energy by 2035, and install 100 GW of solar power – requires a clear signal that only new renewables capacity is going to be prioritised going forward. Committing to No New Coal provides such a signal. Pakistan’s solar boom presents a clear opportunity to end the country’s reliance on new coal power and fulfil the former Prime Minister’s 2020 announcement that Pakistan would “not have any more power based on coal”. As the incoming ASEAN chair, the Philippines can also use a firmer No New Coal commitment to enable regional planning on coal-to-clean transitions. African leaders’ call for a rise in the continent’s share of global renewable energy investments from just 2% today to at least 20% by 2030, must be met to ensure there is no pursuit of coal in Africa. China remains a global outlier: responsible for 62% of the world’s planned coal capacity. However, the country is also the world leader in the rollout of both wind and solar, with 1,215 GW of prospective capacity and a commitment to increase this pipeline to over 3,600 GW by 2035. There is no need for new coal: in the first half of 2025, generation from clean energy exceeded domestic demand growth. Going beyond its insufficient NDC, China now has a clear opportunity to implement plans to end new coal construction in its next Five Year Plan in 2026.
November 4, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
bsbicountries.bsky.social
Over the past couple of months I've repeated in various talks that 11 of our endemic plant species have gone extinct.

I was delighted to read in the most recent BSBI News that one of these, the Glenridding Hawkweed, last seen in 1953, has been rediscovered!!

📷: Mark Lynes
October 20, 2025 at 7:31 PM
meabhcormacain.bsky.social
@deptinfra.bsky.social little suspicious of the handle but could you provide any information about the decision to open Donegal Place to traffic, please?
October 24, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
womensartbluesky.bsky.social
Norwegian painter Oda Krohg, Japanese lantern, 1886 #WomensArt
Painting of a white woman in a long white dress sitting on the step of a doorway under an illuminated lantern looking towards a garden at night with shrubs and a tree in dark blue light
October 22, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
reclaimtheagenda.bsky.social
Larne House Visitor Group is inviting you to join a Migrant Solidarity Walk.
Saturday 18th October, 11am–1pm, followed by a free lunch.
Meet at Whitehead car park. We’ll walk along the coastal path to Blackhead Lighthouse and back
👉 You can register here:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walk-in-so...
October 17, 2025 at 8:12 AM
meabhcormacain.bsky.social
Autumn in Throne Wood and the Snake Steps on the edge of North Belfast.
October 13, 2025 at 8:51 PM
meabhcormacain.bsky.social
Delighted to see this kind of analysis across so many of policy interests. Vital to know how different approaches will deliver on fuel poverty and carbon targets as NI works on developing new schemes
lizlaine.bsky.social Liz Lainé @lizlaine.bsky.social · Oct 11
As we warm up for warm homes, and try and ignore the hypocritical madness of Govt also considering oil options, here’s a comparison of the benefits of current programmes. There are win-wins, but the wins are not equal (and that’s ok) www.cotality.com/uk/insights/...
Energy Efficiency Schemes – Impacts on Households
Government Energy Efficiency Schemes – Impacts on Household Carbon Emission and Energy Bills
www.cotality.com
October 11, 2025 at 1:52 PM
meabhcormacain.bsky.social
A beautiful school, both in location and ethos
October 11, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
greencollective.io
Even in a month full of notable highs and lows, one stood out: during September, the Irish grid emitted its least amount of CO₂ in a single month in modern times.

Our estimate is 577k tonnes. A lot but, as the chart below shows, just a few years ago we were seeing months with almost *1.4M tonnes*.`
A line chart of monthly CO₂ emissions from the Irish grid. The x-axis runs January-December and there is one line for each year. The y-axis shows tonnes of CO₂ each month. Footnote reads: All-island figures. Source: EirGrid, SEMO
October 10, 2025 at 9:12 AM
meabhcormacain.bsky.social
This is extremely important but saddening social media content
metoffice.gov.uk Met Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · Oct 8
Noticing the nights drawing in? 🌙

October brings a big shift with most of the UK losing over 2 hours of daylight this month!

Do you enjoy the cosy evenings or miss the longer days?
Map of the UK showing daylight lost during October by region. Northern areas like Lerwick lose about 2 hours 40 minutes, Stornoway 2 hours 30 minutes, Aberdeen 2 hours 20 minutes, Glasgow and Newcastle 2 hours 10 minutes, Manchester and Birmingham 2 hours, and southern areas such as London and Plymouth about 1 hour 50 minutes. Background uses colour bands to indicate daylight loss.
October 8, 2025 at 12:29 PM
meabhcormacain.bsky.social
I love the beauty and mystery of this, and those soft shades are dreamlike, yet my first response is that the poor woman must be foundered.
womensartbluesky.bsky.social womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · Oct 7
Girl in the East Wind with Ravens Passing the Moon, 1893 by Glasgow School artist Frances MacDonald #WomensArt
Painting of a stylised white woman in a pale green dress standing facing left in front of a full moon as five or more ravens fly past to the left against a dark sky
October 7, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
astronomy.bsky.social
A newborn world caught in the act. NASA’s new image shows WISPIT 2b, a baby planet forming inside a ring of gas and dust around its star. It’s the first-ever photo of its kind, offering a rare glimpse into planetary birth.

Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA
A newborn world caught in the act. NASA’s new image shows WISPIT 2b, a baby planet forming inside a ring of gas and dust around its star. It’s the first-ever photo of its kind, offering a rare glimpse into planetary birth. Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA
October 6, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
greencollective.io
81GWh yesterday from wind was the most ever for an October day, equivalent to 77.1% of the day's electricity demand. Add biomass, solar, and hydro and it's 82.2%. Only seven days have ever seen a higher share. Grid carbon intensity averaged 105gCO₂/KWh: the fourth lowest ever.

#StormAmy #SpeirGorm
A stacked area chart of the electricity generation mix on the island of Ireland. There are seven fuel types: pumped storage, biomass, waste-to-energy, hydro, solar, wind, and gas. There is also a black line showing electricity demand. Footnote reads: All-island figures. Excludes domestic solar. Source: EirGrid, SEMO A treemap of the electricity mix on the island of Ireland. There are eight fuel types: battery, pumped storage, biomass, hydro, solar, wind, gas, and waste-to-energy. Larger sources are annotated with the GWh and percentage of total generation that source comprised. Footnote reads: All-island figures. Excludes domestic solar. Source: EirGrid, SEMO
October 5, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
merriam-webster.com
We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.
October 1, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has launched a trial into electric vehicle charging solutions for across pavements for homes without access to off-street parking.

Read more here: www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/news/kimmins...
Graphic with the words latest news
September 30, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
greencollective.io
September's shaping up to be a rare month when renewable generation in Ireland exceeds gas and oil generation. It's never happened outside of a winter month! 🤞

We'll know for sure Monday night and *you'll* know for sure Tuesday, October 1st, if you subscribe today to our free monthly newsletter.
A treemap of the electricity mix on the island of Ireland. There are nine fuel types: battery, pumped storage, biomass, hydro, solar, wind, gas, oil, and waste-to-energy. Larger sources are annotated with the GWh and percentage of total generation that source comprised. Footnote reads: All-island figures. Excludes domestic solar. Source: EirGrid, SEMO
September 28, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
drownedinsound.bsky.social
Amazing to think how little music there is on tv

Little chat or context, no history, no community just some live performances from big events linked together by some hosts

I once had a fun debate with Neil Tennant about not bringing back TOTP because we need something more like Anthony Bourdain
tjrh.uk Tharg of Antifa @tjrh.uk · Sep 27
3½ hour TV programme to show 80 minutes of rugby.
(Kick off is at 4 pm by the way)
September 27, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
loveballymena.online
𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 | DAERA has advised of high results from Blue-Green Algae testing at Magilligan Downhill & Portstewart.

Temporary advice against bathing issued 23/9/25.

Look out for bathing water operator signs for specific advice.
September 23, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
theauldsthretch.bsky.social
The September equinox is today, 22nd September, 2025. Today the sun will be directly above the equator for a moment as it makes its way south. And that moment is now, 19:18 Dublin time (i.e. 18:18 UTC).
September 22, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by Meabh Cormacain
womensartbluesky.bsky.social
The Refugees, 1931 by Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka #womensart
Painting of two sitting white people, possibly a mother and son, tbe female figure has her arm around the male, both in dark clothes, both looking down and appearing to be exhausted and sad
September 22, 2025 at 4:57 AM