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New beer mats to give public a taste of Ireland’s peatland heritage 19Dec
New beer mats to give public a taste of Ireland’s peatland heritage

UCD Climate Fellow Dr Shane Mc Guinness is one of the researchers behind a specially commissioned series of beer mats about Ireland’s peatlands being distributed to pubs across Dublin and Cork ahead of the festive season. The development of the mats, which feature detailed artwork and facts focusing on the biodiversity and cultural history preserved in the country’s bogs, was led by researchers at UCD and UCC in collaboration with artist Eleanor Brayden.
Earth Institute proud to support first Coastal Ecology Workshop held in Ireland 09Dec
Earth Institute proud to support first Coastal Ecology Workshop held in Ireland

The Earth Institute was delighted to sponsor the recent Coastal Ecology Workshop (CEW) which was held in Dublin for the very first time. This year’s event, which was held at the Shoreline Hotel in Donabate late last month, was organised by Ragna Hoogenboom and Eliza Fairchild from UCD’s Blue Carbon Group and Trinity’s Coastal Research Group members Dr Erica Terese Krueger, Kevin O’Leary and Jenny Clarke.

Muddying the waters - how \'sludge\' can complicate and delay urgent climate action plans 26Nov
Muddying the waters - how 'sludge' can complicate and delay urgent climate action plans

The second of the Earth Institute’s Adapt for the Future lunchtime sessions, entitled Bureaucratic Burdens in a Warming World and which took place yesterday, focused on how paperwork and frustrating administrative hurdles can delay climate action. Defined as ‘sludge’, these excessive behavioural frictions can muddy the waters by making it harder for people to do what they intend to do – or in the case of climate action, stall vital projects such as afforestation or local energy initiatives.

Inaugural UCD SATELLITE Artist in Residence at Mayo Dark Sky Park, Wild Nephin National Park 24Nov
Inaugural UCD SATELLITE Artist in Residence at Mayo Dark Sky Park, Wild Nephin National Park

UCD College of Science and Parity Studios in partnership with Mayo Dark Sky Park at Wild Nephin National Park have selected artist Louise Beer as the inaugural SATELLITE Artist in Residence, beginning a year-long collaboration between art, science, and the night sky. The residency is also supported by National Parks and Wildlife Service, UCD Centre for Space Research and UCD Earth Institute.
Science Week events - Earth Institute researchers working with artists to explore river catchments 10Nov
Science Week events - Earth Institute researchers working with artists to explore river catchments

Earth Institute members feature in water-related Science Week events organised by Eco Showboat artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly as part of their project Catchments 2025.
An auditorium with panel discussion 06Nov
UCD Climate Fellows announced as part of event on how to talk about climate change so that people actually listen

People don’t talk about climate change enough, it can seem unreal and distant, and can be an uncomfortable and divisive topic for people to discuss - so how do we talk about climate change so that people actually listen? asked George Marshall yesterday at an event in UCD where seven new UCD Climate Fellows were announced.
The 2026 Earth Institute Journalist in Residence call is now open 31Oct
The 2026 Earth Institute Journalist in Residence call is now open

We are now taking applications to our journalist-in-residence call. The residency programme is an innovative initiative to provide early career and established journalists with the opportunity to work directly with climate, environment and sustainability researchers in UCD, aiming to enable high-quality journalism around these topics. Deadline 8 December

Oliver Kinnane at JOC October 2025 22Oct
Retrofitting derelict properties key to cutting carbon emissions, says Oliver Kinnane

Retrofitting 100,000 of Ireland's vacant homes by the end of this decade could cut embodied carbon-related emissions by over one million tonnes, Oliver Kinnane - Earth Institute Climate Fellow and Head of School at UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy - has told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy.
Photo of exterior 22Oct
Presidential candidates' statements on climate and the environment

In recent days, we contacted the campaign offices of both Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys to get their insights on climate and the environment - and to find out how Ireland's environment might shape their vision for the Presidency. From supporting those delivering practical climate solutions, to creating community allotments at the Áras, each candidate provided us with a unique vision for their tenure should they be successful in this week's election.

On-street temperature display

The urban heat island, heatwaves and climate change

Cities are a nexus for many of the issues associated with anthropogenic climate changes, write Professor Gerald Mills and Dr Ankur Sati from UCD School of Geography. Although cities occupy less than 3% of the ice-free land, they are home to more than 50% of the world’s population and are responsible for more than 70% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Moreover, as most cities are located at low elevations and close to coasts, they are exposed to projected climate changes such as sea-level rise and storms.

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Comment and opinion

End view of a pile of metal pipes 11Mar
The Perpetual Motion Economy?

Can we engineer our way to sustainable growth, asks Dr Kevin Roche from the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, or does the ideal of the circular economy defy the Second Law of Thermodynamics?
Storm, lighthouse 21Feb
Greater than the sum of their parts: why the aftermath of Storm Darragh highlights neglected disaster scenarios facing Ireland

Dr Ronan McDermott from the UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action and School of Agriculture and Food Science explains why the aftermath of Storm Darragh rather than Storm Éowyn is indicative of the complex multi-hazard interactions that climate change will present Ireland
View of Leinster House, Dublin. Jeanhousen, wikimedia 17Jan
Lessons from a decade of climate politics in Ireland

With the publication of the draft Programme for Government this week by the incoming coalition of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, supported by Independents, Dr Cara Augustenborg (UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy) reflects on ten years of analysing and assessing Irish governments on their climate and environmental policies.
Man carrying out experiment in a field, large capital N 12Dec
N is for Nitrogen

Ernest Osei-Asante's research investigates how optimising livestock diets can mitigate urine nitrogen emissions. Ernest, a doctoral researcher and Teagasc Walsh Scholar from the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, explains his work in our A-Z of Environmental and Sustainability Research series.
Hand holding Climate Justice Now placard 18Nov
Climate change, degrowth and social justice

Interview discussing human rights, gender, wellbeing, degrowth and the four day week with Dr Orla Kelly, UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice.

Green Hydrogen factory concept. Credit: iStock 14Nov
Can sea water power the future of green hydrogen?

Climate change is having a major impact across Europe. The European Drought Observatory has reported that nearly 50% of the continent is under drought warning with southern European countries having already in place severe water restrictions. So where does the green hydrogen economy sit in all of this, asks Veronica Sofianos from the UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering?
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Comic strip about fatbergs 07Oct
Fatbergs, comedy, culture and the bioeconomy

Interview discussing sustainability, agriculture and food production, waste management, circular economy, culture, heritage, research communication and public engagement with Associate Professor Tom Curran, UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering.

Heritage grain varieties at the Organic Village at the National Ploughing Championship 2024 24Sep
A UCD archaeologist at The Ploughing

Why would an archaeologist from UCD be interested in attending ‘the Ploughing’, one of the largest gatherings of farmers in Europe? Meriel McClatchie, an Associate Professor at UCD School of Archaeology, highlights the value of stepping outside the university to meet people from the wider farming sector, where together we can explore the deep history of farming in Ireland and its relevance for the future.

Pine marten in a forest, large capital M 31Jul
M is for Mammal

The history of mammals in Ireland is complicated, with extinctions of large mammals in the past and management problems in the present. Will it come full circle with the reintroduction of some of the long-gone large mammals in the future?, asks Virginia Morera-Pujol, a postdoctoral researcher in the UCD School of Biology and Environmental Sciences.
Photo of a group of workers harvesting tea 26Apr
Geographies of power: understanding empire and environment

Interview discussing the Russian empire, environment and empire, landscape and environmental change, visual culture and representation, political ecology and capitalism with Associate Professor Jennifer Keating, UCD School of History.

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Find out more about Earth Institute research and researchers in our opinion pieces, interviews, blogs and news archive

Pic of Branch Hill, a 1970s scheme by Camden Architects Department. 11Nov
Taking stock - the future of Irish housing

The commodification of housing is lamentable, writes Professor Gary Boyd, Full Professor at UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, given that so much is lost when its provision is left solely in the hands of private developers. Taking us on a whistlestop tour of 150 years of housing doctrine, policy and practice, he opens the door to our imagination by envisaging a creatively considered future housing stock that has sustainability and social cohesion at its core.

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