Barry McMullin
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autofac.bsky.social
Barry McMullin
@autofac.bsky.social
Stranger in a strange land - aren't we all? Engineering academic #Decarbonisation #ComplexSystems. #CarbonAbolitionist #AndACyclist he/his

Why "autofac" you say? Well ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autofac
And: http://www.eeng.dcu.ie/~mcmullin/
Pinned
Update on petition for a dedicated #IE
#GE2024 Leaders' Debate on the Climate & Biodiversity emergency:
www.postcarbonireland.org/GE2024/
postcarbonireland.org: GE2024
www.postcarbonireland.org
“A time of great devastation and tribulation was at hand, it was true, but it might be nice to sit out in the back garden eating domestic olives and drinking a nice full-bodied red from the vineyard down the road … this delusion has been finally laid to rest.”
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
Mark O'Connell: Ireland’s weather has been like our tax regime - a nice little arrangement. Until now
Delusion that climate change might take the edge off Ireland’s rubbish weather has finally been laid to rest
www.irishtimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 8:41 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
Greenhouse gas concentrations keep rising. The planet keeps warming in response. And that added heat shows up in the extremes and impacts. This is really basic stuff.

Data from gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/
February 14, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
We need a government that puts the people and the planet first.

That has the courage and the vision to meet our country’s greatest challenges across climate, cost of living, housing and healthcare.

@hollycairns.bsky.social
February 14, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
Crossing climate tipping points "would lock the world into a new and hellish 'hothouse Earth' climate far worse than the 2-3C temperature rise the world is on track to reach."

Probably fine.
Point of no return: a hellish ‘hothouse Earth’ getting closer, scientists say
Continued global heating could set irreversible course by triggering climate tipping points, but most people unaware
www.theguardian.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
By lifting the Dublin Airport passenger cap, delaying funding for public transport that has planning permission and opening the door to commercial LNG, Minister @darraghobrientd.bsky.social's message to his constituents seems to be: prepare for much more climate chaos.
www.rte.ie/news/2026/02...
Commuters disrupted as north Dublin hit by heavy rain
Follow developments as flooding is being reported in parts of the capital, with north Dublin particularly impacted.
www.rte.ie
February 13, 2026 at 10:33 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
I know I harp on a bit about electrification, but this 10,000 tonne electric cargo ship is quite a breakthrough. Slow and steady, but I suspect it will win the race on short sea shipping. www.electrive.com/2026/02/13/1...
10,000 tonne container ship hits the waters in China - electrive.com
The Ning Yuan Dian Kun, built by Jiangxi Jiangxin Shipbuilding, is the first Chinese 10,000-tonne container ship with electric propulsion to begin testing.
www.electrive.com
February 14, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
This rules. I love how delighted they all look!
February 14, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
China's Xinhua news agency has just published this editorial cartoon in response to Trump's rejection of climate policies.

It is pretty clear that China views this as a HUGE geopolitical fumble by the US leaving the field clear for China's to win the global race to clean-tech hegemony
February 14, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
Large electric powered container ships are already a reality.

When posting about this 2 years ago the so-called “experts” said it is impossible.

Can people stop listening to oil and gas “experts” soon?
China Starts Sea Trials for Largest Electric-Powered Containership
China’s first 10,000-ton electric containership is beginning sea trials. The shipyard is billing the ship as the largest of its kind and a further bre...
maritime-executive.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
Australia's household battery boom suffers from the same walled-garden ecosystem lock-in that's been enshittifying tech across so many different areas

Imagine what's going to happen when Tesla collapses under the weight of its own racism and bigotry, for instance......
Australia’s home battery boom risks locking households into closed ecosystems
Many households only realise after installation they’ve bought a battery system that is locked to a single manufacturer’s software.
reneweconomy.com.au
February 14, 2026 at 6:46 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
The bicycle exists
February 14, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
🇺🇦 Zelensky: Our people deserve gratitude and respect.

❗️There is not a single power plant left in Ukraine that has not been damaged by Russian attacks.

❗️One of the worst things a leader can hear is a report from the commander of the Air Force that the air defense units are empty.
February 14, 2026 at 11:16 AM
CIV train help? I'm on a train to Lon Euston to connect w eurostar London-Paris. Bad disruption today on inbound trains to Euston (trespasser on line??). On an interrail ticket, marked CIV. If I'm late for eurostar will they respect interrail CIV? Their site v. equivocal. @seatsixtyone.bsky.social
February 14, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
To give you an idea of how deranged the UK has become about gender stuff, here's Enid Blyton - the absolute avatar of classic English conservatism and a huge fan of racist "gollywogs" - casually describing a gender non-conforming kid in the 1940s and having their friends be totally cool with it.
February 14, 2026 at 11:33 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
Any news outlet that is still publishing stuff like this is declaring that it should no longer be taken seriously as a source of information.
February 14, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
Three and a half days after the ICE flight through Shannon Airport. Multiple phone calls and emails to the Gardai, and we've heard nothing from them on what action they took to investigate. I've been told by one officer that there is nothing on the PULSE record except my initial report.
February 14, 2026 at 11:44 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
Why do the fascists want to keep you hooked on fossil fuels? Because it keeps them in power. If you don't need their fossil fuels, they lose a lot of that power. True for Putin, Trump and the Princes.

The smartest national security move now is to switch to renewables and electric transportation.
Cubans turn to electric vehicles as US tightens oil blockade
HAVANA, Feb 13 () - The rumble of 1959 Chevrolets, once the rhythmic heartbeat of Havana, is fading to ‌the near silence of electric vehicles as the island ‌faces its worst fuel shortage in years. For...
finance.yahoo.com
February 14, 2026 at 10:50 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
'Nonsense': Miliband attacks Blair as former PM backs North Sea oil drilling.
inews.co.uk/news/politic...
'Nonsense': Miliband attacks Blair as former PM backs North Sea oil drilling
The Tony Blair Institute says the North Sea basin should be treated as a 'home-grown strategic national asset'
inews.co.uk
February 14, 2026 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
“A responsible foreign policy that complies with international law would have to protect a UN Special Rapporteur – against unlawful sanctions by the US as well as against smear campaigns by NGOs using false videos and quotes. @aussenminister.diplo.de
Eine verantwortungsvolle und völkerrechtskonforme Außenpolitik müsste eine UN-Sonderberichterstatterin in Schutz nehmen - gegen rechtswidrigen Sanktionen durch die USA ebenso wie gegen Verleumdungskampagnen durch NGOs mit falschen Videos und Zitaten. @aussenminister.diplo.de
Amnesty: European states must retract outrageous attacks on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese

www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...
February 14, 2026 at 11:58 AM
“I long for the days when a midlife crisis for men meant getting a motorbike and a leather jacket, not [seeking] election ... to indulge their alt right fantasies about ensuring women were pregnant as soon as they were fertile and then didn’t go to university.” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘Handmaid’s Tale future’: Reform’s Matt Goodwin sparks outcry with fertility comments
Byelection candidate accused of indulging ‘alt right fantasy’ by suggesting women need ‘biological reality’ check
www.theguardian.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
Rubio’s speech at Munich was a massive free dose of fentanyl to an addict desperate not to get clean. And it worked. Europe is full of suckers.
February 14, 2026 at 9:53 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
Week #373 (It's hard to keep track - we've been protesting for climate justice for so long, I think we can be excused for displaying the wrong number occasionally). #KeepThePassengerCap #KeepIrelandLNGFree @fiannafailparty.bsky.social @darraghobrientd.bsky.social Fine Gael
February 14, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
The only people sent to Limerick prison over Irish State complicity in lawbreaking at Shannon Airport have been those highlighting it.
February 14, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
If you really want growth that benefits the public limit the size and power of corporations and limit foreign ownership because that extracts profits and wealth from your country and they dodge taxes, too.
The mistake "pro-business" centrists make is deregulation and tax cuts don't create good "growth." They might grow the giant corporations & increase GDP but the beneficiaries don't pay taxes, wipe out smaller businesses, force wages down & otherwise boost public resentment.

This ushers in fascism.
February 14, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Reposted by Barry McMullin
This comes two weeks after the Council of Europe banned conversion therapy.

The right wing and activist press like the nyt have worked hard to promote the false narrative that transphobic policies are sweeping Europe. They were pushing a lie. Europe speaks for itself
In incredible news, the European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly for "The Full Recognition Of Trans Women As Women."

Even the center-right European People's Party voted for the declaration.

It will form a foundation for their position at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Our latest.
European Parliament Votes Overwhelmingly For "The Full Recognition Of Trans Women As Women"
The resolution, though nonbinding, is a significant shot at those who seek to erode transgender rights on the continent.
www.erininthemorning.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:41 PM