In a single human lifetime, we have found ourselves in the midst of the Anthropocene – a fancy term for human-induced climate change. We have prospered in the last century due to numerous feats – from crucial medical breakthroughs to technological advancements – but at a significant cost that culminates in the term “climate change”.
Countless researchers, government bodies and scientists are vying to mitigate the unprecedented change that is revealing itself before our eyes – from changes as subtle as flowers blooming earlier in our back gardens to very tangible impacts such as the wildfires that plagued Australia and America in the past year. Given the wealth of knowledge we now possess at our fingertips, could we have not seen this coming earlier?
The truth is we did, as far back as 1856 from the research of Eunice Foote who first realised the dire impacts greenhouse gas emissions could have, but unfortunately, she remained unheard of for decades – most likely due to her gender. Foote’s paper “On the Heat in the Sun’s Rays” documents her discovery of the warming effect that if occurred on a global scale could lead to an increase in the earth’s temperature. A phenomenon now known as global warming.
Now more than ever, female academics are at the forefront of climate change research in Trinity. One such woman is Professor Jennifer McElwain, head of the botany department. McElwain’s focus on climate change is associated with mass extinction events in the geological past with the hope of determining or identifying thresholds of environmental change that have relevance for our current situation.
Professor Jane Stout, another botany professor in Trinity, has also had an exuberantly successful career thus far, leading an assessment of Áras an Uachtaráin for President Higgins last year and also co-hosting the first National Biodiversity Conference in 2019.
In a single human lifetime, we have found ourselves in the midst of the Anthropocene – a fancy term for human-induced climate change
McElwain, a renowned paleobotanist highlighted the inadequacies in academia during her early studies and even still: “There were very few female lecturers and professors when I completed my undergraduate studies at Trinity in the late 80s and early 90s. Today, there continues to be huge room for improvement. Both men and women still suffer from unconscious gender bias, which influences decisions that both genders make about other women at all levels.”
McElwain refers to a very active Athena Swan Committee in the School of Natural Sciences who are putting together an actionable diversity plan and raising awareness at all levels to create strong and genuine engagement on these issues in Trinity: “I think that real change will only happen with mandatory paternity leave of substantial duration and heavily state-subsidized child care.”
Stout mirrored this observation, stating that when she first began her career in Trinity, she was the only female academic in her department for the first 14 years. However, she offered an optimistic view of the current situation. “Now my field actually has pretty good female representation, but I think across the board, things could still be better. This may happen when recruitment systems are improved to recognise the value in the diversity of approaches and teams, including women, brings at all levels.”
Speaking about their own female role models, Stout noted that professors such as Sarah Corbet, a retired professor at the University of Cambridge, and Ingrid Williams from Rothamsted Research were a source of inspiration during her early academic career to get involved in pollination ecology. “Now there are lots of females who inspire me, not just in academia, but across a range of sectors. Many of whom I am lucky enough to work with on international and national projects, as well as here in Trinity. It’s incredible how many inspirational women there are out there now”, the Trinity former head of Botany also noted.
Research centred on sustainability isn’t just found in the School of Natural Sciences, it can take on an interdisciplinary approach. The work of Dr Eleanor Denny, associate professor of economics, is a key example of that having published in both engineering and economics journals throughout her career.
Both men and women still suffer from unconscious gender bias, which influences decisions that both genders make about other women at all levels
Speaking on the representation of women in her field Denny notes that while progress has been made in the past decade “there is still a long way to go”. In particular, she highlights the impact of caring responsibilities upon female academics. “The disproportional demands on female academics due to caring responsibilities, in particular during the pandemic, have been well documented. As the politicians would say, a lot done but more to do.”
Denny’s passion for climate action is evident throughout her career. True to her role as a behavioural economist, it’s no surprise when she notes that electoral “inertia” is in her eyes the greatest threat to climate change. She remarks that “we need an activated electorate and we need brave governments and institutions to show leadership and take difficult decisions”.
Indeed the power of campaigning seems to be an important trend with Michele Hallahan, sustainability advisor to the Office of the Provost, noting the role that grassroots activists have played in the fight against climate change as she spoke of her role model. “Clare O’Grady Walshe inspired me – she was a Greenpeace officer back when Ireland had a Greenpeace office and was endlessly inspiring, dedicated and motivated to open people’s eyes to the damage being done to the planet back in the early 1990s.”
When asked what they felt the current single biggest threat regarding climate change was, the answer was remarkably singular: inaction on all levels, from individuals to businesses and governments. McElwain also notes the impacts from political naysayers: “I believe that disinformation from the extreme deniers to the extreme catastrophists are a threat to taking action on climate change because extreme views give some sections of society an excuse to do nothing. We all can take action but this will realistically mean that we have to make some personal sacrifice.”
From her ecological background, Stout explained that the conversation about climate change can’t occur without thinking about other elements of the environment – we can’t just reduce carbon emissions, there is a lot more to it than that. “Globally and in our own local areas, we need to stop destroying ecosystems by clearing them, polluting them with chemicals, homogenising them and over-extracting water from them. We need to restore and properly manage degraded ecosystems so that they are diverse, and this will restore the ecological functions those ecosystems perform that benefit us, including those that have climate benefits.”
The disproportional demands on female academics due to caring responsibilities, in particular during the pandemic, have been well documented. As the politicians would say, a lot done but more to do
The power of youth’s passion and strength in numbers has been a predominant factor in the climate fight globally, with the face of the protests being a young female named Greta Thunberg. The upcoming generation is all too aware that we cannot achieve the sustainable development goals without addressing these crises, and they should be front and centre of every discussion and decision made.
McElwain referred to a shrewd example to demonstrate that if we put our minds to it, we are more than capable of change: “Ireland produced half of the per capita carbon emissions [that Sweden did] in the 1970s – today this is completely reversed. In Ireland we produce almost double the carbon emissions per person [compared to Sweden]. If the right policies are put in place, we can cut our per capita emissions by half if we are committed enough.”
The two female figures are both currently involved in very exciting projects and spoke highly of one another’s successes, whilst also mentioning numerous other innovative female researchers. These included but were not limited to Dr Eleanor Denny who works on human behaviour concerning climate action and consumer choice, Dr Sarah McCormack in Engineering who is studying solar panel technology and Professor Iris Moller in the School of Geography, to name a few.
Stout enthusiastically explained one of her current projects she is leading to “pilot natural capital accounting in Ireland, which will enable more sustainable land-use decision-making because trade-offs between benefits for climate, biodiversity and production can be quantified. This approach is recognised by the EPA and in the EU Green Deal as necessary for a green recovery.”
If the right policies are put in place, we can cut our per capita emissions by half if we are committed enoug
When speaking about the gravest threat facing the natural world, Hallahan is highly critical of the role of the capitalist economy in causing destruction to the environment. “The single biggest threat to climate change is the capitalist global economy. […] Capitalism is a disease, not a measure of success. It has destroyed the rainforests, polluted millions of acres of land from violently destructive mining practices and oil exploration, and it exists solely to make the top one per cent of men in the world richer by the minute.”
Indeed money talks and with Trinity becoming the first university in Ireland to divest from fossil fuel investments in 2016 it is evident there is movement in the right direction. With so many impressive researchers focusing on the topic of climate change and sustainability Trinity can take steps to address this pertinent issue.
Detailing the importance of making a concentrated effort to tackle global warming Hallahan says, “we need mandatory climate action implemented at all levels of society but most especially at the top”.
