Planet Earth 1

Ireland’s bogs are often spoken of as a key solution to meeting our carbon agreements and mitigating climate change. But how can we know how much carbon these systems absorb and store? Peter Lebrocquy-Cox has been measuring just this. In his talk he will explain: Why the bogs are important in the response to climate change; How we measure the carbon in them and What our cultural and historical connection to these unique ecosystems can teach us about their future.

Have you ever seen a fox wearing a collar? You just might spot one in Dublin! Holly uses FitBit-style tracking collars to find out where animals go and what they do there. Several foxes in Dublin are currently wearing these collars - helping us to understand where and what they eat. Are they mostly hunting or are they dependent on our waste and offerings? How have they adapted to live so well alongside us? You can help by reporting any sightings of collared foxes, with the time and date you spotted them and what you saw them doing.

We live in a complex world where making sustainable choices can be confusing. In the transition to a bioeconomy (where we break up with fossil fuels and create products and fuels from biomass such as wood, algae, and even waste), we need to be sure that the new products are being produced in a sustainable way. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a scientific tool for determining the sustainability of a product, process, or system over its lifetime. In my talk I will briefly discuss how LCA can help us understand challenges and complexities in the developing bioeconomy.