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Science Week events - Earth Institute researchers working with artists to explore river catchments 10Nov
Science Week events - Earth Institute researchers working with artists to explore river catchments

Earth Institute members feature in water-related Science Week events organised by Eco Showboat artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly as part of their project Catchments 2025.
An auditorium with panel discussion 06Nov
UCD Climate Fellows announced as part of event on how to talk about climate change so that people actually listen

People don’t talk about climate change enough, it can seem unreal and distant, and can be an uncomfortable and divisive topic for people to discuss - so how do we talk about climate change so that people actually listen? asked George Marshall yesterday at an event in UCD where seven new UCD Climate Fellows were announced.
The 2026 Earth Institute Journalist in Residence call is now open 31Oct
The 2026 Earth Institute Journalist in Residence call is now open

We are now taking applications to our journalist-in-residence call. The residency programme is an innovative initiative to provide early career and established journalists with the opportunity to work directly with climate, environment and sustainability researchers in UCD, aiming to enable high-quality journalism around these topics. Deadline 8 December

Photo of exterior 22Oct
Presidential candidates' statements on climate and the environment

In recent days, we contacted the campaign offices of both Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys to get their insights on climate and the environment - and to find out how Ireland's environment might shape their vision for the Presidency. From supporting those delivering practical climate solutions, to creating community allotments at the Áras, each candidate provided us with a unique vision for their tenure should they be successful in this week's election.

New interdisciplinary project funded under Strategic Priority scheme 12Oct
New interdisciplinary project funded under Strategic Priority scheme

New project funded through our Strategic Priority Support Mechanism (SPSM) call. Led by Karen Keaveney from the School of Agriculture and Food Science, the Rural Pact Ireland Framework project will develop a framework for Ireland's engagement with the European Rural Pact.
Panellists at climate stories event 02Oct
Climate storytelling: How to spread the word in a time of denial

“There’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation around, particularly coming out of the United States. There are a lot of policies being reversed.”

These were among the comments made by Irish Times Environment and Science Editor Kevin O’Sullivan when he appeared as a panellist at a special climate storytelling event co-hosted by the Earth Institute and Athena Media in Dublin last week.

Group pic from AIMSIR Centre launch 23Sep
UCD and Met Éireann launch new AI centre to bolster Ireland’s preparedness for changing weather and climate

A major new centre launched last Friday at UCD will harness artificial intelligence to transform weather forecasting, supporting Ireland’s preparation for the growing risks posed by climate change. The first of its kind in Ireland, the AIMSIR (AI for Meteorological Services, Innovation and Research) Centre was established with a €5 million investment from Met Éireann.

Embedding Creative Practice as Research: workshops as part of new research culture project\n 27Aug
Embedding Creative Practice as Research: workshops as part of new research culture project

New UCD Research Culture ReCLAIM funded project on interdisciplinary collaboration and creative practice as research
Group at Liffey Head Bog 27Aug
Catchments 2025: The environmental awareness project bringing artists, scientists and communities together

Two artists whose work has been showcased in some of Europe’s most famous galleries have been sharing their creativity on home turf through an Earth Institute-supported community project.
Pic of Branch Hill, a 1970s scheme by Camden Architects Department.

Taking stock - the future of Irish housing

The commodification of housing is lamentable, writes Professor Gary Boyd, Full Professor at UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, given that so much is lost when its provision is left solely in the hands of private developers. Taking us on a whistlestop tour of 150 years of housing doctrine, policy and practice, he opens the door to our imagination by envisaging a creatively considered future housing stock that has sustainability and social cohesion at its core. 

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Comment and opinion

End view of a pile of metal pipes 11Mar
The Perpetual Motion Economy?

Can we engineer our way to sustainable growth, asks Dr Kevin Roche from the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, or does the ideal of the circular economy defy the Second Law of Thermodynamics?
Storm, lighthouse 21Feb
Greater than the sum of their parts: why the aftermath of Storm Darragh highlights neglected disaster scenarios facing Ireland

Dr Ronan McDermott from the UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action and School of Agriculture and Food Science explains why the aftermath of Storm Darragh rather than Storm Éowyn is indicative of the complex multi-hazard interactions that climate change will present Ireland
View of Leinster House, Dublin. Jeanhousen, wikimedia 17Jan
Lessons from a decade of climate politics in Ireland

With the publication of the draft Programme for Government this week by the incoming coalition of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, supported by Independents, Dr Cara Augustenborg (UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy) reflects on ten years of analysing and assessing Irish governments on their climate and environmental policies.
Man carrying out experiment in a field, large capital N 12Dec
N is for Nitrogen

Ernest Osei-Asante's research investigates how optimising livestock diets can mitigate urine nitrogen emissions. Ernest, a doctoral researcher and Teagasc Walsh Scholar from the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, explains his work in our A-Z of Environmental and Sustainability Research series.
Hand holding Climate Justice Now placard 18Nov
Climate change, degrowth and social justice

Interview discussing human rights, gender, wellbeing, degrowth and the four day week with Dr Orla Kelly, UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice.

Green Hydrogen factory concept. Credit: iStock 14Nov
Can sea water power the future of green hydrogen?

Climate change is having a major impact across Europe. The European Drought Observatory has reported that nearly 50% of the continent is under drought warning with southern European countries having already in place severe water restrictions. So where does the green hydrogen economy sit in all of this, asks Veronica Sofianos from the UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering?
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Comic strip about fatbergs 07Oct
Fatbergs, comedy, culture and the bioeconomy

Interview discussing sustainability, agriculture and food production, waste management, circular economy, culture, heritage, research communication and public engagement with Associate Professor Tom Curran, UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering.

Heritage grain varieties at the Organic Village at the National Ploughing Championship 2024 24Sep
A UCD archaeologist at The Ploughing

Why would an archaeologist from UCD be interested in attending ‘the Ploughing’, one of the largest gatherings of farmers in Europe? Meriel McClatchie, an Associate Professor at UCD School of Archaeology, highlights the value of stepping outside the university to meet people from the wider farming sector, where together we can explore the deep history of farming in Ireland and its relevance for the future.

Pine marten in a forest, large capital M 31Jul
M is for Mammal

The history of mammals in Ireland is complicated, with extinctions of large mammals in the past and management problems in the present. Will it come full circle with the reintroduction of some of the long-gone large mammals in the future?, asks Virginia Morera-Pujol, a postdoctoral researcher in the UCD School of Biology and Environmental Sciences.
Photo of a group of workers harvesting tea 26Apr
Geographies of power: understanding empire and environment

Interview discussing the Russian empire, environment and empire, landscape and environmental change, visual culture and representation, political ecology and capitalism with Associate Professor Jennifer Keating, UCD School of History.

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Find out more about Earth Institute research and researchers in our opinion pieces, interviews, blogs and news archive

Pic of Branch Hill, a 1970s scheme by Camden Architects Department. 11Nov
Taking stock - the future of Irish housing

The commodification of housing is lamentable, writes Professor Gary Boyd, Full Professor at UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, given that so much is lost when its provision is left solely in the hands of private developers. Taking us on a whistlestop tour of 150 years of housing doctrine, policy and practice, he opens the door to our imagination by envisaging a creatively considered future housing stock that has sustainability and social cohesion at its core.

UCD Earth Institute

University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
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