Event Details
SEMINAR
Green Foundation Ireland invites you to participate in an evening in-person Seminar:
OCEAN WARMING AND
MARINE BIODIVERSITY
THURSDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2023 – 18:00 to 20:00 (Irish time)
(registration starts at 17:45)
Venue:
National Maritime Museum of Ireland
Haigh Terrace, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, A96 C8X7.
As always at our events,
an important part will be the
Q&A session
which will allow full
participation by those attending.
TICKET DETAILS
While admission is FREE to this event, registration is REQUIRED.
Please secure your place by booking here.
Event Programme
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.
GETTING THERE
The National Maritime Museum of Ireland is situated in Haigh Terrace, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, A96 C8X7 – here is a map to help you locate it. The tower of the Museum (beside the Royal Marine Hotel) is clearly visible from most places in Dún Laoghaire.
The Museum can be accessed from steps beside Lexicon Library but, for those who do not wish to climb steps, you can also enter by going into the gateway to the Marine Hotel, passing the hotel entrance and taking the pedestrian path to the Lexicon Library. The Museum is straight ahead as you pass the Library.
The Museum can be easily reached by public transport. It is less than 5 minutes’ walk from Dún Laoghaire DART station or any of the buses serving Dún Laoghaire (7, 7a, 8, 45a, 46a, 59, 75, and 111). You can use an online travel planner to find the best route for you.
For those driving, please note that the Museum does not have its own car park; however there are a number of car parks nearby (for example, DLR Lexicon, Pavilion Theatre and Dún Laoghaire Harbour).
Photo by: MARTIN NOLAN, Director of
Green Foundation Ireland
THEME
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.