The Future of Ireland to 2020

The future is impossible to predict. Energy and carbon emissions are becoming more and more important as issues for policy and for society in general and the need for insight continues to grow. Going beyond the usual approaches, this book explores the past and future of Ireland not only economically and technologically but socially, culturally, demographically and in governance. Based on a prominent research study in the Futures Academy of Dublin Institute of Technology by Dr. Tadhg O Mahony, the resulting scenarios are a first. A new methodology is developed, the driving forces of change are analysed, and the implications for society as a whole are identified in alternative scenarios. They place energy and carbon emissions in the context of the broad development of society. They offer interest not only to economists, energy analysts and policymakers, but to anyone interested in Irelands future. It is a reference point to those who want to understand the future and to those who want to change it. Ireland has learned many lessons in the recent past. These may also aid those in other nations currently climbing the development ladder, to seek a blue sky in an uncertain future.