Newspaper Articles
Why we need a technological dialogue around climate change
Article with RTE Brainstorm by Fionn Rogan and Alexandra Revez
Opinion: how people will use new and existing technologies must be considered to avoid unintended negative consequences
By Fionn Rogan and Alexandra Revez, UCC
Before Covid-19, how did you commute to work? How will you commute in 10 years? What is the energy efficiency of your home now? What will it be in 10 years? How do you choose your electricity supplier: price, environmental credentials or pure inertia?
The answers to these questions will substantially influence whether or not Ireland transitions towards a low carbon society. The answers will contribute to whether Ireland’s climate and energy emissions continue to increase, stay the same, or decrease rapidly. But how often are the answers to such questions used in an assessment of Ireland’s future climate and energy emissions?
Studies of Ireland’s future climate and energy emissions frequently focus on technology diffusion and the impact of economic incentives - and I say this as someone who has co-authored many such studies. These analyses use technology costs, estimates of fuel prices, resource availability, and the impact of policy interventions. Crucially, they make assumptions about people and their behaviour. But instead of assuming, why don’t we ask?