Past Projects

Researchers: (opens in a new window)Ainhoa González and Peter Connell (UCD Geography), Justin Gleeson (Maynooth University) and Eoghan Mc Carthy (Maynooth University)

The aim of this project is to develop a Local Area Renewable Energy Strategies (LARES) Webtool to map environmental, technical and planning considerations to assist in the determination of areas that may be suitable for renewable energy technologies. The approach is based on the assessment of sectoral constraints and facilitators as recommended in the LARES methodology (SEAI, 2013). The Webtool will be composed of two parts: 1) A Viewer that will centralise spatial datasets covering primary environmental, technical and planning considerations for five renewable energy technology types (i.e. wind, solar, wave and tidal, geothermal and biomass); and 2) a Widget or participative bespoke geoprocessing tool to facilitate examination of the suitability of lands for renewable energy development.

Researchers: (opens in a new window)Ainhoa González and Keletso Malepe (UCD Geography)

This project aims to review the status of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) links in Ireland, through a review of case studies and focused interviews and guided by identified international good practice. Its main output will be a practical guidance note about how SEA-EIA links and tiering could be improved to streamline and strengthen environmental assessment practice.

Researchers: (opens in a new window)Ainhoa González and (opens in a new window)Tobi Morakinyo (UCD Geography), (opens in a new window)Shane McGuinness and (opens in a new window)Enda Murphy (School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy), and Lyn Hagin Meade, Tom and Graiine (Dundrum2030)

This project develops an academic-community partnership with Dundrum 2030, to: 1) facilitate and influence national Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) monitoring, by developing a UN-aligned local indicator set and building the capacity of communities to measure progress in the achievement of SDGs; and 2) track progress on the ground towards the achievement of SDGs. The outputs are to ensure replicability in local monitoring efforts by creating an indicator-led toolkit and supporting dashboard for communities. It will contribute to addressing current local data and knowledge gaps on the achievement of SDGs, feed into national and UN reporting mechanisms, and trigger similar actions in other communities.

Researchers: (opens in a new window)Christine Bonnin, (opens in a new window)Ainhoa González (UCD), Truong Thi Anh Tuyet and Ho Ngoc Son (Thai Nguyen University), Tien Nguyen Thi Minh (Hanoi University).

Vietnam is among the most vulnerable nations to climate change globally. Yet, the diverse, interconnected impacts of climate change are geographically and socially unequal. Groups in society who tend to be most vulnerable are most acutely exposed to risks. This is especially so for ethnic minority communities in the northern upland region which depend on household-based agriculture and natural resource-based livelihoods that are greatly influenced by climatic conditions. At the same time, households and communities living in challenging environments have often developed viable coping strategies as well as longer-term adaptations to difficult environmental conditions that may contribute to resilience. However, the prioritisation of scientific and technical knowledges in climate change mitigation and adaptation planning often results in the exclusion or discounting of local, non-expert realities. This project adopts an inclusive, participatory approach to assessing climate change vulnerabilities and resilience among ethnic minority communities. It seeks to better understand ethnic minority individuals’ and communities’ lived experiences with, and responses to their changing local environmental conditions, and to enable a more complete understanding of the effects of climate change in people’s lives. 

Funder: Department of Foreign Affairs/Irish Aid