Green Foundation Ireland
OUR MOST RECENT EVENT:
IN-PERSON SEMINAR
“Ocean Warming and Marine Biodiversity”
Thurs 2 Nov 2023 – 18:00 to 20:00 (Irish time)
VENUE: National Maritime Museum of Ireland
Haigh Terrace, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, A96 C8X7.
Climate change is affecting earth’s oceans, with ocean warming reaching alarming levels. Marine warming in the North Atlantic has increased by 5 degrees this year according to UK based scientists. This has put at risk the survival of kelp forests, which play a crucial role as a home for marine biodiversity around Ireland, Great Britain and Europe’s Atlantic coast. The ocean has absorbed 90% of the extra heat added to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. Ocean ecosystems produce half the oxygen we breathe, represent 95% of the planet’s biosphere and soak up carbon dioxide, as the world’s largest carbon sink.
The UN Ocean Treaty was signed early this year in New York, as nations finally took action to reverse marine biodiversity loss and tackle climate change affecting the oceans and its fish stocks. The Treaty aims to place 30% of the seas into Marine Protected areas by 2030, to try to reverse marine biodiversity loss. Ireland has planned a number of Marine Protected Areas around the coast of Ireland and detailed legislation is in process. While this is welcome, the crisis is deepening and more needs to be done.
OUR GUEST SPEAKERS:
GRACE O’SULLIVAN MEP Former Greenpeace activist and Irish surf champion.
KARIN DUBSKY Director of Coastwatch and marine ecologist.
Dr DONAL GRIFFIN Marine Policy Officer with Fair Seas.
Dr SAULE AKHMETKALIYEVA Blue Carbon Research Lab, UCD.
You can check out more details, including how to book, here
Photo by: MARTIN NOLAN
Director of Green Foundation Ireland
UPDATES:
CLIMATE CHANGE PODCAST SERIES
Code Red
Code Red is a climate change podcast from the Centre for Climate and Society at Dublin City University. The Code Red series looks at how the worlds of policy, politics, the media, the arts, and other sectors have responded to climate breakdown and biodiversity loss. Code Red features an interesting and diverse mix of guests from academia, policy, the cultural industries and civil society.
HONORARY FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN
Awarded to: Duncan Stewart and Greta Thunberg
On 21 June 2023, two environmental activists – DUNCAN STEWART and GRETA THUNBERG – were awarded the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin, the highest honour that can be bestowed by Dublin City.
Duncan, a director and former chair of Green Foundation Ireland, has been a leading Irish advocate for environmental issues for over 40 years. A champion for environmental issues, sustainable energy and architectural conservation since his student days, for the past two decades Duncan has also been a popular television personality in Ireland. Duncan’s Eco Eye series was driven by his interests in the protection of Ireland’s environment and enhancement of biodiversity. It was Ireland’s longest running environmental series and one of the most popular shows on Irish television – there were twenty-one series in total and all available episodes can be found on our website, courtesy of Duncan.
Greta, from Sweden, is the world’s most prominent global climate campaigner of our time. She has worked to address the problem of climate change and, at the age of 15 in 2018, founded the movement known as Fridays for Future (also called School Strike for Climate), which gained worldwide attention and inspired school students across the globe to participate.
You can view our video here
CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLY ON BIODIVERSITY LOSS
Submission by Green Foundation Ireland
In September 2022 Green Foundation Ireland made a submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on the topic “How the State can improve its response to the issue of biodiversity loss”.
The Citizens’ Assembly is a body comprising the Chairperson and 99 citizens, randomly selected to be broadly representative of the Irish electorate, established to consider some of the most important issues facing Ireland’s future.
We would like to thank COLIN STAFFORD-JOHNSON and FIONN KEELEY for allowing us to use their videos as part of our submission.
You can read our submission here
WHAT WE DO
Green Foundation Ireland hosts seminars, workshops and conferences to demonstrate how practical action can create systems change in both education for sustainability, and work towards a green economy and society. We work on local and Island of Ireland projects and with partners in Scotland, England and Wales, and the European mainland.
RESOURCES FOR ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION
In association with Green European Foundation, GFI publishes eco literature, both online and hardcopy, and circulates the European Green Journal. All available episodes of the Eco Eye programmes, hosted by GFI’s Director and former Chair Duncan Stewart, are available courtesy of Duncan. All of the above can be found in the Resources Section of our website.
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VALUES AND VISION
GFI has a vision of ecology that values the life of all creatures on our planetary home and is embodied in practical action for a sustainable life for all.
We encourage participation by people and communities in finding practical local responses to intractable problems.
We tell stories of resilience and change in the face of adversity, based on good science and community action.
MEMBERSHIPS and AFFILIATIONS
GFI is a member of the Irish Environmental Network – www.ien.ie
GFI is a member of the Environmental Pillar – www.environmentalpillar.ie
GFI is affiliated to the Green European Foundation – www.gef.eu
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
GFI thanks the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications for the funding it receives through the Irish Environmental Network.
GFI also acknowledges the support of the European Parliament through funding for projects agreed with Green European Foundation.
