Forum Charter - Updated 12-03-2017 - READ BEFORE POSTING

This Charter lists the general guidelines on conduct in this forum, but the list is not exhaustive and moderators will use their discretion where necessary. First and foremost, the same general rules that apply in other forums also apply here.

Scope of this Forum

S&EI is a forum for the discussion of political, scientific and general day-to-day topics falling under the broad headings of Environmentalism and Sustainability. For threads specifically on the practical aspects of renewable energy installations (wind turbines, solar panels, etc.), you may consider the Renewable Energies Forum more appropriate. For more rigorous scientific debate, you might try Environmental Science.

Starting New Threads

When starting a new thread, please try to use the (most) relevant prefix:

• "Advice" – general questions on anything from compost bins to renewable energy and everything in between
• "Science" – when tech-speak is the order of the day.
• "Policy" – public policy, opinion and attitudes. The political implications of sustainability and environmental issues.
• "News" - for discussion of a news story, such as an environmental disaster, for which use of one of the other prefixes is perhaps not suitable.

Thread Content

Topics should be relevant to Sustainability and Environmental Issues and posts should not be (for example) verbatim quotes from an article or isolated links (to videos, for example) without comment from the poster. Offer your own opinion on the subject so far as is possible. If a link to a video or article is being posted as a response to another post or to make a specific point, then please state clearly what that point is.

Be Prepared to Discuss Your Posts!

This is not a blog – if you’re not prepared to discuss the content of your posts, which will inevitably involve your opinions being challenged, then please do not post. If you are here to "shout everyone down" with your opinions, we will see you as a negative contributor to the forum and may ban you.

When offering an opinion, please state so; do not present an opinion as "fact". When offering fact, please offer relevant linkage, or at least source. If you do not do this upon posting, then please be willing to do so upon request.

The onus is on all posters to fact check their information. If a poster is corrected, or information corrected in a thread, any poster who continues to relate the same misinformation as fact will be sanctioned. This also applies to posters spreading misinformation across multiple threads.

Reporting Posts

Never attack a poster - attack the content of their post. If you have a problem with a post, USE THE REPORT POST FUNCTION; do not respond to the post in question. Allegations of trolling in-thread will not be accepted.

Please do not discuss moderation in-thread. If you wish to discuss an issue with a moderator privately or directly, either PM the moderators, or take it to the Dispute Resolution forum.

Discussion of Climate Change or Related Subjects

For the purposes of most discussion on this forum, to prevent the same arguments being rehashed in multiple threads, the scientific consensus on the subject of climate change is taken as fact. That is (as per the IPCC):

Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level.

Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic GHG concentrations.

However, whether you agree or disagree with the consensus, you are free to discuss the subject in the appropriate mega-thread here. Discussion of the scientific consensus on climate change outside of this thread is not permitted. While the details of climate change science beyond this consensus are debatable, please keep this debate within the Climate Change megathread or make use of the Environmental Science forum.

Surveys & Petitions

Please read our policy on surveys and petitions before posting:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057716596