Provost-Elect Linda Doyle has said she will appoint a new Vice-President for Biodiversity and Climate Action.
In an interview with Silicon Republic, Doyle said the new role has been created in response to the climate crisis and the interest Trinity staff and students have taken in environmentalism.
The position “is not just going to be about the symbolism of that and the role model of that”, she said. “It’s also going to be about deeper, more practical actions on the ground.”
“A lot of staff and students in Trinity are not really happy with the steps that we’re taking to address things to do with biodiversity and climate change.”
“I think there’s a genuine realisation that more needs to be done, it needs to be taken more seriously and continuing as we are won’t work”, she added.
The appointment of a new Vice-President for Biodiversity and Climate Action was promised by Doyle during her campaign for the role of Provost. She also pledged to set up a sustainability office.
During the Provost election season earlier this year, Prof Norah Campbell, an associate professor in marketing, co-founded an ad-hoc group aimed at bringing these issues to light and challenging candidates on their climate strategy.
When The University Times asked her about Trinity’s direction in terms of climate and what she expects from the next provost, Campbell compiled answers supported and worked on by a group of 37 staff members.
“We can continue to make incremental changes and follow legal requirements for carbon reduction, or we can imagine and help create a different world to that which we currently live in; where our planet and all living beings on it can thrive”, the group said.
“At a systems level, we can show leadership by influencing public policy at national and international levels to insist on decision-making that is commensurate with the evidence of ecological crisis.”
Doyle will begin her tenure as Provost on August 1st, taking over from Patrick Prendergast.
College Board will meet on September 1st and Doyle will officially nominate a number of people to College Officer roles, including the Vice-President for Biodiversity and Climate Action. Board will then consider and approve the nominees.
Prendergast said in a speech earlier this month that Orla Sheils, the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, will be succeeding Jürgen Barkhoff as Vice Provost.
Other College Officer roles include the Bursar, Registrar and Dean of Students.
Correction: 1:50pm, July 30th, 2021
An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to Provost-Elect Linda Doyle’s new College officer as the Vice-Provost for Biodiversity and Climate Action. In fact, the new role is the Vice-President for Biodiversity and Climate Action.
