ECO EYE SERIES 16 (2018)
Watch all available online episodes for Eco Eye Series 16 here.
EP1: ‘Restoring Nature’
Episode 1 of Eco Eye Season 16 opens with ecologist Anja Murray exploring how nature can be rebalanced with human intervention, why intervention is needed and can we save what is left? Humans have been changing nature for millennia, but now we must step in to manage the delicate balance of our remaining habitats.
EP2: ‘Active Travel’
Dr Lara Dungan explores why our society has turned its back on being active. With easy unhealthy choices everywhere, what hope do we have to reverse the trends? She discovers that while sedentary work and personal choices play a part, the built environment around us has been geared for the car, making it more and more difficult to get around using our legs and feet. She will explore the reasons for this and figure out what we can do to change.
EP3: ‘For Peat’s Sake‘
The race is on to save what’s left of Ireland’s iconic peat bogs. Duncan travels across Ireland investigating the efforts underway to protect and restore this incredible habitat.
EP4: ‘Pristine Waters’
30 years ago there were over 500 pure, unpolluted freshwater sites in Ireland, now there are only 21 left. Ecologist Anja Murray explores the decline of Ireland’s high status water sites, home to the endangered Freshwater Pearl Mussel. On her journey she learns what can be done to bring them back to better health.
EP5: ‘The Air We Breathe’
Our air is a natural resource we all take for granted. But how often do we consider the quality of the air we breathe? In Ireland over 1,500 deaths are caused her every year by air pollution. Dr Lara Dungan investigates the main sources of air pollution in Ireland, including traffic emissions and solid fuel burning, the health impacts and possible solutions.
EP6: ‘Silence is Golden’
After air pollution, noise is the second biggest environmental health issue. What level of noise has an impact on human health? Duncan and Lara investigate some of the ways in which noise can negatively affect human and marine mammal health, the solutions and whether Ireland has sufficient protection for the general public.
EP7: ‘Aquatic Invaders’
Ireland’s rivers and lakes are a central part of our unique biodiversity and ecosystems. In this episode Anja will discover the impacts of non-native species in Irish water bodies, speaking with experts and anglers about the best ways to contain these species. Beautiful sequences on Lough Corrib in Co Galway.
EP8: ‘Future of Transport’
Ireland & Luxembourg are the only EU countries projected to miss both our emissions and renewable energy targets in 2020. In this episode Lara explores the need to reduce our transport emissions and what trading the petrol car for electric innovation, public transport and other transit options could look like in Ireland.
EP9: ‘Hazardous Chemicals’
The final episode of Season 16 tackles “Hazardous Chemicals” which permeate our homes, our bodies and our environment. The episode will focus on the problems associated with household & garden chemicals and some of the solutions.