There are lots of exciting events this week to chase away the post-Reading Week blues. In fact, it’s Green Week, offering a wealth of opportunities for you to become more active and aware of the issues posing a threat to our environment.
The UN Climate Change Conference, COP 22, is currently ongoing in Morocco and this Monday TCD Environmental Society, the Society for International Affairs (SOFIA) and Global Development Society are giving you the chance to give your solutions to pressing climate justice issues with their event, Marrakesh 2016: The Climate Games. Attendants will act as if part of a UN lobby group. They will question, support and call out a panel of experts which includes the Head of Policy and Advocacy at Trócaire, Dr Lorna Gold; Climate Policy Principal Officer at the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Dr John O’Neil; and Deputy Director General at the Environmental Protection Agency, Dara Lynott. Some of this high-powered lineup will be flying in from Marrakesh for the event.
The discussion will be followed by a luxurious, Moroccan-themed reception where guests can vote for the policy they think should be put into action immediately. This promises to be an exciting event which will give an exclusive glimpse into the development of the Paris agreements from both a governmental and NGO perspective. It kicks off in the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB) at 7pm.
On Tuesday, geog on over to DU Geographical Society’s event in the HLT at 7pm. They will be welcoming Shane McGuinness from Dublin Zoo and Federico Cugurullo from Trinity for a talk on The Power of Parks, the theme of this year’s GeoWeek. These 20 minute lectures will be followed by audience discussion and a wine and cheese reception in the Freeman Library.
DU Zoological Society (ZooSoc) will be hosting a Future of Farming debate on Wednesday at 7.30pm in the Swift Theatre, Arts Block. Agriculture has implicitly linked itself with two of the biggest environmental threats, climate change and habitat loss. Ireland’s agricultural sector is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, but the country has positioned itself as a sustainable source of food. How can this be reconciled? The society will be hosting Tom Kirley, Dr Frank O’Mara, Helen Sheridan and Paul Harris to bring their expertise to the issue.
Finally, DU History will be co-hosting Dr Jatja Bruisch and Dr Francis D Ludlow to talk about “water histories”. Their discussion about this everyday invaluable resource will round off Green Week nicely. The event starts at 1pm on Friday in 2041, Arts Block.
