That’s a wrap! One of the busiest years at the Earth Institute comes to an end

We’ve just wrapped up one of the busiest years in the Earth Institute.

Our numbers have grown to over 200 academic members drawn from 31 of UCD’s 38 schools and all colleges, with our community’s disciplinary mix continuing to expand to encompass new areas.  

We organised more than 90 events since September to support this increasing membership; these included discussions, walks and workshops, as well as policy seminars on campus and in the city centre.

More than 200 speakers contributed to our events which were attended by some 2,500 people. Attendees included colleagues from across UCD as well as senior politicians, ambassadors, senior civil and public servants, industry, NGOs and many more. 

Among the successful and high-profile events we organised this year was the Democracy and the Environment series in the Museum of Literature Ireland, which focused on a range of important topics such as Technology and Sustainability, Animal Welfare and Decarbonising Buildings. 

In October, we launched our Climate Fellows programme at the Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review Recommendations event in UCD O'Reilly Hall, while earlier this year, we announced four new Journalists in Residence for 2025. 

New interdisciplinary research collaborations have been established on marine and seabed environments and trees outside the forest through our strategic priority scheme, while previous projects are going from strength to strength.

We also hosted several visitors at the Institute, including former Welsh Minister for Environment Jane Davidson, to discuss Wales’s Future Generations Commission, and Ben Jealous, renowned American civil rights leader, social entrepreneur, environmentalist and Executive Director of the Sierra Club. 

Finally, we closed the year with our successful Africa-focused event and awards ceremony. The event, entitled Africa, Ireland and UCD: Working together to address global sustainability challenges, provided an opportunity to see what progress had been made in the two years since the university launched its ambitious strategy to establish Africa as a priority region.

We would like to thank everyone for supporting the Institute throughout the year, either by being a member of committees, participating in new interdisciplinary initiatives, or contributing to or attending our numerous events. We look forward to your continued engagement in 2025/26.