The 2022/23 Academic Year marked a complete return to campus activities, as witnessed by the increased presence of students, staff, and numerous visitors exploring our grounds and buildings.

The world has warmed by 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels. Despite progress in climate action globally, we’re not on track to keep warming at or below 1.5C¹, as agreed internationally in the Paris agreement of 2015. At 1.2°C, we’re already witnessing devastating weather events and migrations of climate refugees. Predictions of how a warming world would affect life on earth have proven to be, in many instances, conservative. Fossil fuels are still being extracted and burned, the minority world or “global north,” continues to extract natural resources from the global south in an example of intra-species parasitism, and we are in an extinction crisis, with biodiversity being bashed from all angles.

The Greenshoots team is officially looking for participants for the peer-to-peer element of the overall programme: Greenshoots Changemakers.

This programme is designed for students who want to take environmental action but would appreciate some guidance and support.

Climate Action Week is nearly here! To mark the significance of Ireland’s 7^th Climate Action Week, a schedule jam-packed with events will take place from the 16^th-19^th of October. This was a labour of love between:

UCC’s Greenshoots Coordinator, STAND, UCC Enactus Society, UCC Students Union, Fáilte Refugees Soc., Enviromental Soc., Vegan Soc., Folklore Soc., Scribble Soc., Engineers Without Boarders Soc., Music Soc., FASHforward, Climate Ambassadors Ireland, Dúlchas, UCC Sustainable Futures Lab, UCC Folklore Academics, UCC Office of Climate Action and Sustainability and multiple wonderful UCC staff!

In the 20th episode of ‘The Green Campus Podcast’ we talk to UCC’s Energy Manager Pat Mehigan.

Welcome to this short update on our current energy performance and some of the energy projects undertaken over the summer months as we get ready for another busy academic year.

Climate activism is a global movement dedicated to fighting climate inaction and climate injustice to create a sustainable and equitable world for all. It often involves campaigning and lobbying political leaders to take responsibility and achieve critical climate goals whilst holding industry players accountable for their environmental impacts. The climate movement has been around for decades, but has grown in strength and urgency in recent years in response to anthropogenic climate change and biodiversity loss.

With global temperatures predicted to rise significantly in the coming years if we don’t immediately and radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the importance of climate activism (and activists) has never been so clear. But how do you get involved with climate activism in the first place?

In the 19th installment of the Green campus podcast we talk to Student Support Administrator Natalie O’Byrne.

Within the past week alone, we have seen apocalyptic images of raging wildfires in Greece and videos of a tornado and ‘golf-ball sized hail’ in Italy, all the while brutal heatwaves are tearing their way across Europe. I regret to inform you (if you did not already know) that these are not freak occurrences. What we are witnessing are the devastating and deadly effects of the climate crisis.

Do you want to contribute to public consultations but don’t know where to start? If you’re new to the sphere of public participation, the idea of making an environmental submission to a consultation may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.