Book Launch: ‘Ireland and the Climate Crisis’

On December 9th, 2020, RINNO’s Antonia Egli joined Dublin City University’s launch of the recently published book ‘Ireland and the Climate Crisis’ edited by David Robbins, Diarmuid Torney and Pat Brereton. The virtual gathering was joined by guest speakers Professor Daire Keogh, President of Dublin City University, Eamon Ryan, Minister for Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, Dr Tara Shine, Director of Change by Degrees, and Mark Foley, CEO of Eirgrid.

Ireland’s Response to the Climate Crisis

Ireland, long seen as a climate laggard in an international comparison, has shown increased momentum in recent years and today promotes a stronger focus on the societal challenge of climate change. ‘Ireland and the Climate Crisis’ takes a closer look at the recent surge in Ireland’s response to the matter and lists contributions social sciences and humanities specifically can make to the climate change discourse. The book sheds light on aspects of the climate crisis as seen from new perspectives, highlighting all the while that the challenge of communication is one not to be overlooked by academia and policymakers alike.

Illustrated in a collection of interdisciplinary perspectives, ‘Ireland and the Climate Crisis’ analyses the country’s climate record and examines main factors which constrain or contribute to climate action on the Emerald Isle. Chapters of this newly launched work offer: 

• An introduction to the intricacies of tackling climate change from a societal, political and regulatory perspective;
• A historical overview of Ireland’s policy response to climate change and an analysis of the nation’s slow transition to a low-carbon society;
• An introduction to climate litigation and policy change based on the Climate Case Ireland;
• A comparison of Irish climate law, as well as local government and party politics, within the country and the EU;
• Responses to climate change from Irish media;
• Recommendations for furthering climate change education and community engagement.

Climate Change as seen by Academia & Government

Notably, guest speakers of the virtual launch included Eamon Ryan, Minister for Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, and Dr Tara Shine, Director of Change by Degrees. Ryan discussed the importance of bridging the knowledge gap between science, politics and the general public and highlighted the urgency of legislative backing, public engagement, and effective communication between stakeholder groups in support of the democratisation of climate action.

Mark Foley, CEO of Eirgrid, which manages and operates the transmission grid across Ireland, lastly explained the importance of both public and private sector work towards clean energy options while underlining the value of charismatic leadership.

The launch of ‘Ireland and the Climate Crisis’ stands in line with Dublin City University’s strategic alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). RINNO has already celebrated notable mentions at the university: this month’s earlier session on SDG7 ‘Affordable and Clean Energy’ featured RINNO’s efforts to improve the energy efficiency of the EU’s building stock by delivering processes for managing deep renovation projects. Stephen Krabsen, Development Consultant of the European Green Cities (EGC), spoke about RINNO’s role in the renovation of Store Hus (“the Big House”, 464 flats) in Avedøre Boligselskab, Denmark, one of the project’s four pilot sites. A recording of the full session can be found here.

More information about ‘Ireland and the Climate Crisis’ can be found here if you are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the constraints on, and opportunities for, successful climate action in Ireland.

RINNO is a Horizon 2020 project that aims to considerably accelerate the rate of deep renovation in the EU by reducing the time, effort, and costs involved in deep renovation projects. In a collaborative effort of 17 partners from industry and academia, RINNO will deliver an open renovation platform for the integrated design and delivery of deep renovation projects.

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