How has Irish society responded to climate change? A new book edited by three DCU academics attempts an answer
Is Ireland finally shrugging off its reputation as a laggard when it comes to taking action on climate change? A new book edited by three DCU academics attempts to answer this question.
Ireland and the Climate Crisis, edited by Dr Dave Robbins, Dr Diarmuid Torney and Prof Pat Brereton from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences brings a comprehensive cross-disciplinary approach to examining the issue from multiple perspectives, including law, policy, media and politics.
The book will be launched by the Minister for Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport at a virtual event this evening (Wednesday, December 9th). Dr Tara Shine, Director of Change by Degrees and Mark Foley, CEO of Eirgrid will also speak at the event.
This wide ranging collection, published by Palgrave, contains contributions from leading researchers with expertise in: media, film, communications, politics, policy, political economy, legal activism, community energy, eco-villages, local government, political ecology, eco-modernism, and education. It is the first comprehensive assessment of Ireland’s response to climate change across all these areas, and is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to understand how Ireland got here, and how we could improve our response to climate change.
The editors conclude that Ireland’s response to the challenges of climate change has been weak up to now, but that there are hopeful signs across the policy, political, and civil society arenas.
Minister for Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan said,
“Our Citizens Assembly has had a significant influence on how we tackle climate change. This book brings together an academic assembly, from people who have been thinking about how we tell the story of climate change for many years. It sets out the science, explores the cultural context and is not afraid to challenge the political system. The question this book asks is similar to that asked by the Citizens Assembly; whether we can become a leader or remain a laggard in terms of climate action, particularly in agriculture and transport. The book gives grounds for hope, but we must all act to deliver on it.”
Speaking about Ireland and the Climate Crisis, Dr Dave Robbins said, “This book builds on the work of environmental science, to explore what the social sciences and humanities can contribute to Ireland’s response to climate change.”
Dr Diarmuid Torney remarked, “We have been lucky enough to be able to bring together many of the leading experts in their fields to provide a comprehensive analysis of Ireland’s response to climate change.”
Prof Pat Brereton commented, “From eco-villages to eco-cinema, from community wind farms to school strikes, this book presents a range of perspectives, and will be invaluable for anyone who wants to understand Ireland’s climate journey.”
Ireland and the Climate Crisis is published by Palgrave and is available to purchase from the publishers at a discounted price until January 6th. Enter the following code when purchasing via the Palgrave website: FxNCXTKa7Fx39cX.
About the authors
Dr Dave Robbins is Assistant Professor at DCU's School of Communications. His research focus is on media representations of climate change, journalism as it relates to the coverage of environmental matters, and media framing effects.
Dr Diarmuid Torney is Associate Professor in DCU's School of Law and Government. His research focus is on the politics of climate change and energy.
Prof Pat Brereton is Professor in DCU's School of Communications. He is Chair of DCU’s MSc. in Climate Change: Policy, Media and Society.