Changing shades of green

We call it the Emerald Isle for an obvious reason: The Irish landscape is green beyond compare. This image is no postcard caricature, but is indeed very real. For those of us who visit or live in Ireland, there are moments when we are stunned by the depth of green. And those moments occur fairly often.

This image, we now know, is a fragile one. As our report illustrates, Ireland faces serious threats if climate change continues unabated. Greens will fade to brown. Soft rains will turn harsh. Bog bursts – when masses of peat slide down slope like a California mudslide – will be more common. Irish soils will no longer yield a bounty of potatoes. If climate change continues unchecked, the look and feel of Ireland will change.

Our Project intends to describe, in rich detail, both the environmental and cultural impacts of climate change in Ireland. Our science team is affiliated with ICARUS (the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units), based on the campus at NUI Maynooth. The cultural insights come from poets, musicians, farmers, anglers and many others. We believe this hybrid approach is unique in the climate community.

Our hope is to reach the 80 million Irish living all across the globe (only five million of whom live in Ireland). If we succeed at our task, more of the Irish will understand the urgency of the climate crisis. More of them will understand that we can all play a role in helping stave off the worst effects of climate change.

Those of us who wish to keep Ireland green have a role to play, no matter where we live. It starts by making greener energy choices – at home, at work, in our communities and when we vote.

Download the report.