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A TOTAL OF 1,540 seizures of counterfeit goods have been made already in the first quarter of 2013, according to figures from the Revenue Commissioners.
In response to a parliamentary question this week, Finance Minister Michael Noonan revealed that the value of counterfeit goods seized this year had a totaled €819,684.
He said the range of goods seized is “extensive” and includes body care items, clothing and accessories, mobile phones and other electronic equipment, CDs, DVDs and toys.
In 2012 a total of 5,580 seizures were made with a value of €5,437,334 and Noonan said he recognised the value of raising consumer awareness of the negative impact of the trade in counterfeit goods. He also said it was important for consumers to know about the potential safety risks involved.
The finance mininster said he believes that “the holders of intellectual property rights have a key role to play in conveying this message to consumers” and can help gardaí in confirming the status of suspected counterfeit goods.
“I understand that Revenue works with other stakeholders, where possible, to highlight the problems associated with such goods and will continue to avail of all opportunities that arise to raise the public’s awareness regarding counterfeit goods.”
Those convicted of illegally importing counterfeit goods could face a fine of €126,790 or in the case of goods with a value of over €250,000, a fine of three times the value of the goods, or a prison sentence of up to five years, or both.
Noonan said there are no proposals at present to increase these penalties, but the position will be kept under review and he said gardaí and the Revenue Commissioners work closely together and with international operations to tackle the problem.
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The two wars are contributing to hugely carbon emissions. During Last world war record rain fall and temperatures records were also set in Ireland and uk.
@Tim Collins: yes, if Kamila gets in next week in the US & starts another one or two proxy wars, all our green efforts & carbon taxes will be set at nought
@Tim Collins: Have a look at the Met Eireann records. Not a single record for rainfall or temperature was set for Ireland during WW2.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: Ireland is one of the few places that haven’t warmed much over the last 50 years.
I don’t mind As long as we don’t cool too much!
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill:
UK met office
@Tim Collins: You’ll need to give a proper source, Tim.
@Kevvy kerrr: 2 million people die in India every year because of air pollution.
Deli has been on lockdown due to smog for the past 3 days ,a city that is ranked number one in the world for air pollution.
But sure we just keep recycling that plastic juice bottle and it will be grand
@Tim Collins: Fine. But no records set in Ireland!
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: Probably scratching their arses since they separated from the UK Met Office in 1936.
@Kevvy kerrr: lol, nothing to the damage Trump will do of he gets in.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/28/donald-trump-climate-change-environment
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: Wrong on many counts.
Driest ever April: 1.3 mm Laois (Abbeyleix) 1942.
Driest ever June: 0.8 mm Dublin (Lambay Island) 1942
Driest ever November: 3.5 mm Offaly (Edenderry) 1942
Wettest ever November day: 167.1 mm Kerry (Killarney) Nov. 9th 1941.
Coldest ever March Night: -17.2°C Sligo (Markree) Mar. 3rd 1947 (effects of war on Climate last a few years longer than when the battle ends).
Now lets look at wind…
Strongest ever wind speed in Ireland: 131 km/h (Hurricane Force) Limerick (Foynes Airport) January 18th 1945.
Strongest ever November wind speed in Ireland: 117 km/h
(Violent Storm) Limerick (Foynes Airport) 12th 1940.
Air Pressure:
Record High August 1036.0 hPa Kerry (Valentia) 17th Aug. 1940
Thats quite a few records set during the WWII period.
I used a paper straw last week so the weather will be fine lol
@Kevvy kerrr: More likely that Trump will pull out of all climate agreements and starts fracking bigly. He will pull out of NATO, bigly, leaving countries exposed, ready to be attacked by Russia. Many more wars will ensue umder him.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: there are no cure to idiocracy, safe instead of hate bill, something could be enforced when misinformation comes up
@Kevvy kerrr: Donald Trump believes Climate Change is a hoax…
@Laois Weather: Ah! Thank You! My quick search through Met Eireann yielded nothing! How did you find thiose?
@smatrix mantra:
Fortunately he won’t win,and will face his many court cases.
The people who claim that “Climate Change” is something to fear like this man above obviously forgets the fact that these “doomsday predictions” are currently 0-32. There is no proof that hurricanes and storms are getting stronger due to “Climate Change.” Even NASA admits this. Tuvalu, the country that we are told is going to be underwater by 2030, grew their total geographical size by 3% in the last 30 years. This is hardly a country that’s “sinking” as we are frequently told. 283,000 people fewer people die from cold because of rising temperatures. There is no proof that global draughts are increasing either. That’s coming from the EPA and the IPCC themselves, who activists seem to love quoting. It’s a modern form of racketeering in which public intellectuals are hoovering up the money.
@Frank O’Hara: there is plenty of proof. You just refuse to believe it.
@Ger Whelan: You haven’t bothered to refute any of the points that I made. Is that because you know I’m correct?
@Frank O’Hara: I’ve no interest in wasting my time trying to tell you something you don’t want to believe. There is massive amounts of online evidence that says you are wrong. If you don’t believe that I’m not nieve enough to think you’ll believe me.
@Frank O’Hara: To truly prove/debunk the theory that the increase of extreme whether events are related to climate change, we’d need to compare it against data from an environment without climate change. Unfortunately impossible and hence the argument that people who think climate change is something to fear are somehow wrong, makes little sense. As for Tuvalu, the increase in land mass is caused by shifting sands which have added to the islands shoreline. The shifts are caused by changing currents due to sea level rise. Tides in Tuvalu have increased above global average.
@Ger Whelan: What about the fact that you people are now 0-32 when it comes to these predictions that we are told about? This is nothing more than a well-funded hustle to rip taxpayers off and people are beginning to see through it.
@Dereck: I am literally quoting from NASA who said this under oath at a televised Congressional hearing as well as the EPA and the IPCC. These are the people who we are told cannot be wrong on anything. I’m simply using the data which they themselves have gathered to point out the clear inconsistencies in the Climate Change narrative which is being pushed by governments and media companies in Europe and America.
@Frank O’Hara: The sea water temperature in Florida has been so warm that it has been above human body temperature.
Instead of the body being able to regulate its temperature by shedding heat, the hotter water begins to cook swimmers, making it impossible to spend any length of time in the water.
Corporations are all about profit – the bottom line.
Florida insurance companies have been withdrawing from that market.
Because the losses are no longer sustainable.
Islands have already vanished beneath the waves. The Solomons alone has lost 5 islands entirely, with many more having lost part of not yet all of their land.
https://theconversation.com/sea-level-rise-has-claimed-five-whole-islands-in-the-pacific-first-scientific-evidence-58511
I don’t know where you come up with this 0-32 nonsense.
@Frank O’Hara: If that’s what you believe then that’s what you believe.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Ah my antisemitic troll friend, back again to my comments I see. I was just in Key Largo last week and I can assure you that no human is being cooked alive like to seem to think. I took a boat out on the sea and jumped in and I can assure you, I was swimming happily for over four hours and none of my limbs were cooked. I suppose the water also puts paprika and pepper on these humans as well. I know corporations are all about profit, that’s precisely the purpose of a corporation – To make as much money as possible to the largest possible share of the market. My 0-32 is referencing the fact that since 1970, there’s been 32 different predictions that would happen to the world as a result of Climate Change, and none of them have come true.
@Frank O’Hara: That doesn’t take anything away from my point that just because you can’t prove something, it means it’s not true. I don’t know which NASA report you’re quoting but judging by your reference to Tuvalu you seem to be somewhat selective with your quotes. If you’re pointing out inconsistencies in predictions, you should not forget that predictions can’t be 100% accurate by their very nature. I’ve read predictions of the impacts of climate change 20 years ago or so and the increase in wildfires, storms and extreme weather events was a prevalent, reoccurring theme. Whatever inconsistencies might exists in the theory of man made climate change and it’s impact, they’re not substantial enough to dismiss the theory.
@Dereck: All Congressional hearings are available to watch in full for free. I don’t have some exclusive, secret information. You can literally go onto C-SPAN and watch the hearing in its entirety where NASA clearly admits, under oath with their charts, that there is no increase in the frequency or strength or hurricanes or storms across the globe. What was “selective” about what I said on Tuvalu. Stating that the land mass has increased by 3% isn’t something to interpret, it’s either true or false and in this case, it is true. The EPA on their website as well as the IPCC clearly state that there is no increase in the number of droughts worldwide. This is available for every Joe Blow to view. Of course predictions can’t be 100% accurate and that’s my point.
@Dereck: Climate models are precisely that – models, which aren’t guaranteed to yield accuracy. Of course global temperatures are increasing, but they always have. Like many people, I don’t think such increases are inherently dangerous and in fact are in some cases, are beneficial for humanity. Also, anything that gives me a higher tax burden, I will always oppose.
@Dereck: look at the flight apps & see & be horrified at the amount of planes over any country in the world at the one time what is that doing for Climate Change,? & here they don’t want u to light a fire
@Frank O’Hara: well said. It’s best to just laugh at the climate cult lol
@Frank O’Hara: https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/evidence/
@Frank O’Hara: Lol good one Frank, who do you work for?
@Mike B: Well, I’m a barrister by trade, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t speak about or mention obvious facts about a certain issue when they are publicly available for anyone to access.
@Frank O’Hara: The land mass of Tuvalu has increased because of sea level rise which caused a change in the currents. Your reference to Tuvalu subtly suggests (intentionally or not) that rising sea levels are a prediction that turned out to be incorrect. That’s where you have been selective, by singling out Tovalu. Maybe you should tell the people of Tovalu that they have nothing to worry about. I’m sure they’d be delighted to discuss it with you. As for the NASA report I suspect you applied the same methodology. We agree that predictions cannot be accurate. We differ on how to interpret these inaccuracies.
@Dereck: It’s pretty simple. We keep being told that Tuvalu was going to be underwater by 2030. I’m just pointing out that fact that both NASA and the Tuvalu government have said that the landmass of the country has actually increased by 3%. I’d be happy to tell the people of Tuvalu that they have nothing to worry about if I got the audience to do so. They have been force-fed fearmongering propaganda by the United Nations, even though their own studies show that there is no proof that any sort of climatic weather events have gotten more severe. All one has to do is read their own charts and reports.
@Dereck: not just organically shifting sands, major human intervention (funded by NZ Gov), several projects of sand dredging and infilling on massive scale. And trying to use Tuvalu as an example of false claims is at odds with its own government, who along with other affected South Pacific islands (Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Niue) in 2023 launched a forum calling for the transition to Fossil Fuel free Pacific….
@Dereck: island growth is from coral growth which is eaten by parot fish and excreted as sand. Also the Great barrier reef is in rude health and bigger than ever. Check out the Reef Rebel professor.
The levels of co2 ,in the atmosphere are roughly 4 tenths of a single percent. For a number of years it was 3 tenths of a percent, concentrations below 2 ,,tenths of a precent, and plant life dies.The Planet has been hotter during two periods before , not attributed to humans ,our Climate is changing, as it always has, and always will.its laughable to think that in Ireland we are recycling plastic bottles, and having plastic bottle caps pressed into your nose when you sip from a bottle.Meanwhile China opens a new power station every 40 days , Israel has created millions of tonnes of waste as has Russia in two wars, releasing tonnes of chemicals into the air.
@Gavin Power: Way to ignore, or misrepresent, the cause of climate change.
Increasing CO2 from 0.25% to 0.4% is a 60% increase.
Small amount of substances can have large effects.
We have miniscule amounts of minerals and vitamins in our bodies. If we reduce these even by 60% then our health will suffer. Increasing some of these can result in detrimental effect too, poisoning our system.
The human body can tolerate a small amount of arsenic. Increase it a little beyond that, then not so much.
The body doesn’t like cyanide, even at tiny levels.
That 0.25% of CO2 in the atmosphere kept global temperatures within a band that allowed humans to thrive.
The warming and accompanying climate changes that are yet to come will not be so kind to us.
Many forms of life – animal and plant – will go extinct.
Many other forms of life – animal and plant – might thrive.
That does not mean we will survive.
Your logic is flawed.
Hopefully Trump wins next week and he starts to burn baby burn. Ireland needs a degree or two or warming.
@cup of tea: It’s 17degC and I’m in a t-shirt……… at Hallowe’en!! How bl**dy warm do you want it?
@cup of tea: seriously??? This site is awash with trolls lately but that ridiculous post will take some beating for juvenile rambling
@cup of tea: A good article by an Irish scientist on the dangers Trump poses to climate action:
@Brendan O’Brien: why post nonsense & lies…. the republican party are hugely committed to the green agenda, far more than the warmongering Democrats– u think all them wars, death & destruction are carbon ‘friendly ‘
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: If you offered me 5 or 6 degrees of warming I would snap your arm off. Ireland is far too cold.
@Frank Mc Carthy: ‘the republican party are hugely committed to the green agenda’!!!
That’s a genuine LOL moment, Stephen.
@cup of tea: get ready for it to be a lot colder, the warm Atlantic ocean currents are predicted to completely shut down within the next century and if that happens it’s game over for northern europe for 100 years
@Frank Mc Carthy: You tried and failed. What a hideous comment to make.
@Frank Mc Carthy: LAUGH!
@Mike B: Get ready for it? How old are you, minus 60?
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: 17 degrees at Halloween isn’t the big deal you think it is. We had sub 10 degrees during the summer for instance…. The weather/temps can be unpredictable all year round!
@Eric Gaffney: Mike is correct though.
What we call the Gulf Stream is predicted to shut down.
There is an uncertainty about when.
It could be as early as 2037.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill:
Coldest temperatures recorded at the time 1944
@cup of tea: feckwit
@Frank Mc Carthy: republican party denied the existence of climate change FFS!!!!
@cup of tea: silly comment of the day award. Imagine being the kind of person who supports a multiple sexual assaulter of women. Never mind all the other terrible things about him. Go you.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Could do, but I honestly don’t think there’s a thing we could do about it.
@Eric Gaffney: The sooner we stop adding Greenhouse Gasses to the atmosphere the slower the rise in Global temperatures and the lower the rise will be.
And the more time we will have to ameliorate Global Warming.
Only god can control the weather
@cup of tea: ignorance is bliss.
The people that make the big decisions are paid off by fossil fuel companies, and yet protesters are being jailed for speaking out, why would anyone want to bring kids into this world
@Mike B: One would hope that the kids who are welcomed into the world be those who correct our priorities as a species.
@Mike B: @Mike B: The people who make the decisions are paid off.
They don’t care who pays them off.
Or the currency, which can be a quid pro quo.
As a result of the russian invasion of Ukraine Germany began an accelerated transition away from fossil fuels, installing an incredible amount of RE.
This past summer Germany’s RE was producing so much energy that the wholesale price went negative.
Negative!
So the German energy regulator paid hydro electricity operators to shut down their plant.
Corporate profits must be protected.
@sean weir: The point being?
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Exactly…. I got a smart meter one time with new supplier, supposedly help consumers understand their usage and consumption electricity and learn to conserve. And I did, but after a while, even during a period when house was empty during weekdays as both were working away, the bill was only slightly lower.
It made no sense until I found out that due to my low usage , I was being basically charged a minimum anyways. So then I was paying for Electricity I hadn’t used, pure ludicrous. I went back to old supplier and ways.
@Michale Kane: Yea, this “competition” in the energy market is simply a scam.
A scam to ensure profits for corporates.
We had a single state-owned electricity supplier -the ESB – which was non-profit making. It was in their charter. They charged only what was necessary.
We were among the lowest in the EU for electricity prices.
Then we brought in “competition”.
But the private corporations couldn’t compete with the ESB.
Not and make a profit at the same time.
So they “persuaded” the government to create an energy “regulator”.
The job of that “regulator” was to ensure these private corporation would gain market share.
It achieved that by forcing the ESB to charge exorbitant prices so that customers would be “incentivised” to move to the still expensive but now cheaper than the ESB private corporations.
Until they achieved their desired market share.
We are now among the most expensive in the EU.
It was a scam.
It is still a scam.
Where else does “competition” exist for the benefit of corporations instead of people?
There’s no way the changes required to fossil fuel use would fly politically, same with everyone consuming less of everything and maybe even slowing down economic growth. Try getting elected on those tickets.
However we should be mitigating for floods, drought, crop failures etc. as it’s all coming our way and will only get worse and worse.
@eoin fitzpatrick: As the article states, ‘This is not inevitable. The technologies exist to rapidly transition away from fossil fuel usage. Renewable energy is now in almost all cases cheaper than fossil fuels, yet governments continue to subsidise oil, coal and gas burning. In Ireland alone, €2.9 billion was spent in subsidising fossil fuels in 2021 alone, much of this to enable cheap aviation via tax-free jet kerosene.’
@Brendan O’Brien: ‘ renewable energy is now in almost all cases cheaper than fossil fuel’……. & whilst YES this can be/ is true you neglect to mention the huge upfront cost of transition. A huge proportion of vehicles on our road ‘ could’ benefit on a day-to-day basis from using alternative fuel sources
@Brendan O’Brien: Of course we do have the option of electric heat pumps – using electricity that is almost the most expensive in the world.
@Frank Mc Carthy: Yet we spend €2.9 billion a year subsidising fossil fuels. To quote the article again, ‘The reality remains the same: either we rapidly bring the era of fossil fuels to an end, or climate collapse will assuredly bring human civilisation to a fiery end. The choice, for now, is ours.’
@Brendan O’Brien: But we don’t subsidies fossil fuels.
The government of the day might be declining to tax certain fossil fuels, but *we* don’t.
@Brendan O’Brien: Brendan. Riddle me this ,if what you say about renewable being cheaper, why has the pso levy been reintroduced?.
Please list the technologies that exist. Eamon Ryan mentions these a lot, but never says what they are.
The only ones that could really reduce the price of electricity is the EU, by decoupling the price being charged from the most expensive generation.
An example would be say gas was the most expensive generation today for electricity, but only generated 5% of the total, all electricity is charged at the most expensive price.
This should make you ask, who does the EU represent??.
@eoin fitzpatrick: so keep fecking up but perhaps preparing for it better???
Talking out your hole I see
@Brendan O’Brien: we don’t, the Gov does.., What we do is pay many more Billions in taxes on fossil fuels we put in our vehicles, to the Gov and the Gov gives out in subsidies to compensate Profits Corporations , nothing new there, similar as they do for Banks and Finance Houses.
@sean weir: you think humanity has the ability to work together to consume less of everything?
@Donal Ronan: indeed, when the Ukraine war started Ursula was out to say that energy prices would be decoupled from the wholesale gas price, 2 years later and still no sign. The EU is not representing its citizens.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: Many individuals can and do actually support fossil fuel companies through their pensions. We can influence our government’s management of taxing if it was made a big enough issue by the public
Can you pile any more misery on top of us? We’re all paying heavy fuel/carbon taxes already and you are setting the stage for even more. Give me a break, for God’s sake. Sick of it all!
@Patrice Ahern: Also sick of reading about how cattle are the worst. I’m not clear on what pool of information the writers are relying on but don’t they realize that there are ruminants other than cattle? Considering we are culling tens of thousands of wild deer ever year, why are these populations ignored? Or indeed sheep and goats?
True, their smaller body size and hence good intake may account for a lower contribution ratio than cattle.
But isn’t ignoring those ‘relatively’ insignificant’ contribution akin to Ireland’s emissions on a global scale?
Either one group contributes or it doesn’t.
What about giraffes, antelopes, gazelles and bison, wildebeest? Not suggesting they should be culled, though.
Three stomach camelids, including the increasingly popular alpaca and llama, too.
@Athena: *food intake
@Athena: because cattle require massive amounts of grass for grazing, and the likes of brazil is clearing massive amounts of the amazon rainforest for profit
@Mike B: As is Indonesia, to plant tree crops to produce wooden pellets and biomass. That’s the cows’ fault too, is it?
Money is the point, until it isn’t we’re just tooling about.
Climate Change is happening and rate of change is increasing due to humanity.
If Ireland increased emissions by a factor of 1,000 it still would be less than a percentage point of world total.
If the American military in ‘peace’ time was a country, it would ranked No 47 in World with Ireland ranked lower than 200.
1% of the population cause over 70% of all emissions.
Taxation of the ordinary people, who are contributing the least to emissions and not profiting from emissions, is not the answer.
Carbon Taxes redistributed as tax rebates and carbon credits to compensate the lost profits of the fossil companies is also not the answer.
@Michale Kane: ‘If Ireland increased emissions by a factor of 1,000 it still would be less than a percentage point of world total.’
No: Ireland’s share is currently 0.1%. I’ll leave you to do the maths.
@Brendan O’Brien: typo Bren… but we run with yours .. Ireland is 0.1%…. Imagine Ireland reduced by 50%.. then would that mean 0.05% of world total ??? …
And if we doubled ours , it would be 0.2% of world total ?
@Brendan O’Brien: Jeez Bren imagine hypothetically if Ireland didn’t exist at all !!
That would remove 0.1% of world emissions…
Are them sums correct ?
@Michale Kane: Corporations would take your hand off to get another 0.1% profit.
@Michale Kane: No statistician but wouldn’t that percentage just move to other countries? Percentages don’t disappear…
What qualifications has John Gibbons in respect of environmental studies?
We need commentators whose opinion has some merit and, therefore, respect.
Publishing shock jock nonsense, for clicks and profile enhancement, does a huge disservice to those of us (who have qualifications) trying to get a very important but balanced message out in the media and into the minds of the public.
One of these a denialist is going to say ‘Of course the climate is changing, but it’s not climate change.’
@Brendan O’Brien: One of these days, I meant.
@Brendan O’Brien: And maybe one day you’ll actually have something worthwhile to say about the subject and not just have a rant about others who comment. But we’ll wait and see.
Climate iceberg coming to us seems to indicate a new ice age? A rather peculiar heading for this article?
So what to do about it? At present the World Military Industrial complex is getting $2000 billion a year. This urgently needs re directing towards the manufacture and installation of literally thousands of new generation, small modular nuclear reactors, SMRs. into every existing thermal plant, cement works, fertiliser factory etc.. Also in tandem with all the data centres, the waste heat from which then goes to mega complexes of 24/7/365, totally pesticide free growing and then most vitally factories for the Black Soldier Fly, whose larvae will eat nearly all our Western World, vast qantities of food waste, before being fed to the fish and fowl. Forget any notion about renewables, which just make our power more expensive. Power from them should be metered out via the Smart meters, when available. Covered all this three years ago
from an environmentalists poont of view.
https://salmonwatchireland.ie/2022/05/13/arather-unique-and-interesting-point-of-view-regenerating-our-salmon-and-rivers-by-nicolas-grubb/
I can comment wow thought I was living N Korea
I agree
If Ireland turned of all modern technology and stopped the use of fossil fuels entirely on the 1st of December 2024 and then a week later slaughtered the entire national herd of all farm animals, stopping the methane emissions from farming, ceased all food production and manufacturing, in a return to less than pre industrial revolution emissions.
And then on the 31st of December implemented a policy of euthanasia for the entire human and animal population of the country, as a final alleged selfless act of environmental policy to cut Ireland’s emissions to zero, it would result in the reduction of total current global emissions by an estimated figure of 0.1% according to a previous fact check by the journal.ie, based on separate figures from the World Bank and the European commission.
What I do now is that in the early 70′s we were told oil would run out by 1999 in the mid 90′s we were told we were doomed by all the experts, planes will fall out of the sky, banks will shut down , your bank accounts will be wiped clean . Computers will crash and burn, and the fridge will stop working all because of the Millennium Bug! Then in the 00′s we were told that the EU would collapse and the Euro will be worthless, our very brightest minds here in Ireland predicted the end of days, as far as our economy is concerned ! So here we are, in the late first quarter and the doom sayers are still at it but we are still here. As the great philosopher said, “life , it goes on!”
have your say