S5 E4: Jennie C. Stephens – Ecofeminism and Energy Democracy

Charlie Coakley, sustainable business manager of Uisce Éireann, drops in to discuss the sustainability framework of Uisce Éireann, Ireland's state-owned water utility company. We explore the company's role in providing clean drinking water and appropriate treatment of waste water, the challenges posed by climate change, and the importance of energy efficiency in water treatment. Charlie outlines the ambitious goals of the 2025 Sustainability Framework, including achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040, Biodiversity net gain on all projects, and implementing nature-based solutions for wastewater treatment. The discussion also highlights the significance of social inclusion and public engagement in achieving these goals, as well as the future of water supply projects in the Eastern and Midlands Region, which would involve the extraction of water from the Parteen basin of the river Shannon. Thanks very much to Sorcha O'Carolan Murphy for support with research, design and promotion. Links Uisce Éireann's website: www.water.ie Uisce Éireann's Sustainability Framework: https://www.water.ie/about/sustainability/sustainability-framework Ireland ranks 10th highest in the EU for domestic water use: https://smartwatermagazine-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/smartwatermagazine.com/news/locken/water-ranking-europe-2020?amp Integrated Constructed Wetlands project at Dunhill, Waterford: https://www.water.ie/help/wastewater/wetlands/dunhill-wetlands Sludge Drying Reedbeds: https://www.water.ie/projects/local-projects/carlow-sludge-reed-beds

In this episode, engineer and energy industry veteran Errol Close chats to Daithí and gives us an illuminating (pun intended) look at how Ireland keeps the lights on - literally. From how we trade power with the UK and soon France, to what happens when storms like Eowyn hit, Errol breaks it all down. You’ll hear why renewable energy makes grid management feel more like weather forecasting, how we hit a once-ambitious 40% renewables target, and what’s being done to get us to our latest targets. Whether you're into climate, renewable energy, or just curious where your power comes from - this one’s worth a listen.        Thanks very much to Sorcha O'Carolan Murphy for support with research, design and promotion.   Links: 1. Eirgrid - https://www.eirgrid.ie/     2. Celtic Interconnector - https://www.celticinterconnector.eu/ga/     3. CRU (commission fo regulation of utilities) https://www.cru.ie/   4. Government Target of 80% share of renewable electricity generation by 2030: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/publications/accelerating-renewable-electricity-taskforce/      5. EPA projecting only 68% renewable energy share by 2030: https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/climate-change/air-emissions/irelands-greenhouse-gas-emissions-projections-2024-2055.php     6. Data Centres are projected to account for up to 30% of Ireland's electricity demand by 2030: https://www.thejournal.ie/data-centres-to-account-for-almost-one-third-of-irelands-electricity-demand-by-2034-6658382-Mar2025/       7. The impact of data centres 'capacity payments' on energy bills: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/consumers-energy-bills-set-to-rise-further-as-more-data-centres-will-add-to-costs/a633724800.html

In this episode, Daithí speaks to Hugh McLindon, the District Conservation Officer with the National Parks and Wildlife Service for Wicklow. They cover lots of ground, from what makes a peatland, to how they come to exist and the realities of bog restoration in Ireland. With the NWPS doing lots of work on restoring the Special Area of Conservation in the Wicklow National Park, Hugh tells Daithí about his own experience as a Park Ranger and the shift in culture that he has seen in his 30 years of working with the NPWS, a shift that has given him great hope for the future and enthusiasm for the work being done! Thanks very much to Sorcha O'Carolan Murphy for support with research, design and promotion. Links: NPWS Website: https://www.npws.ie/       Blanket Bogs in Ireland Factsheet: https://www.ipcc.ie/a-to-z-peatlands/peatland-habitat-types/blanket-bogs/ Raised Bogs in Ireland Factsheet: https://www.ipcc.ie/a-to-z-peatlands/peatland-habitat-types/raised-bogs/ Ireland referred to EU court for failure to protect peatlands: https://www.irishtimes.com/environment/2024/03/13/ireland-referred-to-eu-court-for-failure-to-protect-bog-lands-and-curb-turf-extraction/ SUAS Project: https://suaseipproject.ie/    Special Areas of Conservation SAC map Ireland https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/sac#:~:text=Special%20Areas%20of%20Conservation%20(SAC)%20are%20prime%20wildlife%20conservation%20areas,well%20as%20an%20Irish%20level.

In this episode Daithí speaks to Jennie C. Stevens, Professor of Climate Justice from NUIM, and a feminist scholar and activist. They dive deep into the urgent need for climate justice and the transformative changes required to tackle the climate crisis. From unpacking the damaging effects of extractive economic systems to exploring how eco-feminism can guide our approach, Jennie highlights the interconnectedness of human health, ecosystem health, and social justice. She debunks the myth that climate action means sacrifice and challenges the influence of powerful industries on universities and public policies, advocating for energy democracy—where local communities have control over their own energy systems. Feeling overwhelmed by climate anxiety? Jennie offers hope, emphasizing that collective action is the antidote, and it’s happening right now. Tune in to discover why climate justice is about much more than the environment—it’s about equity, empowerment, and creating a better future for all!       Thanks very much to Sorcha O'Carolan Murphy for support with research, design and promotion.   Links: 1. Jennie's Website and Books (Climate Justice and the University; Diversifying Power): https://www.jenniecstephens.com/books        2. Climate Justice Universities Union: https://www.climatejusticeuniversitiesunion.org/       3. Greta Thunberg - 'The Climate Book': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Climate_Book        4. 'The Squad' - left-wing coalition in the US House of Representatives: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squad_(U.S._Congress)        5. Fridays for Future: https://fridaysforfuture.org/

In this episode, Daithí speaks to Mary Fleming, the founder of ChangeClothes.org, a social enterprise that sprang up in Crumlin to address accessibility and habits around second-hand clothing. Starting as just a week of events in her local area a few years ago, Change Clothes has grown into a thriving organisation, providing training and workshops in upcycling and sustainable fashion alongside its highly anticipated swap shops. Mary talks about what inspired her to start making changes in her own life and how she was frustrated by the messaging around sustainability and the inaccessibility for low-income people. Daithí and Mary discuss the importance of looking at what we stand to gain with climate action and the positive effect that a sense of fun and community can have. Thanks very much to Sorcha O'Carolan Murphy for support with research, design and promotion. Links 1. Change Clothes Website: https://www.changeclothes.org/ 2. EPA statistics on Irish Textile Waste: https://www.epa.ie/our-services/monitoring--assessment/circular-economy/textiles-national-attitudes--behaviours-surveys/ 3. Second-hand clothes market burns down in Kantamanto, Ghana: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/24/ghana-clothes-market-fire-kantamanto-rebuild 4. Amendments to EU Waste Framework Directive to include more circularity of textiles: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_548 5. French 2024 legislation tackling fast-fashion: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/15/france-fast-fashion-law-environmental-surcharge-lower-house-votes

In this episode, Daithí is joined by Jack O’Donovan Trá: trained marine biologist and Communications Officer for Fair Seas, for a fascinating conversation on the role of our oceans in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. A natural storyteller, Jack breaks down complex ocean science into relatable insights, from how kelp forests cushion our coasts during storms, to the invaluable ability of the ocean to lock away carbon through life itself. Growing up on Red Strand, outside Clonakilty, Jack’s personal connection to the sea has shaped his life’s mission. He explains how the Fair Seas Coalition is advocating for ambitious, science-based Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Irish waters - areas that could rival the Great Barrier Reef in ecological importance and scale. He highlights how Ireland’s current policies lag far behind its commitments, and why local involvement is crucial to real, lasting change. Thanks very much to Sorcha O'Carolan Murphy for support with research, design and promotion. 1. Fair Seas reports: https://fairseas.ie/resources/#all_0-139-reports 2. Fair Seas documentaries: https://fairseas.ie/youtube-videos/ 3. Marine Protected Areas Bill: https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/general-scheme-of-marine protected-areas-bill-2022.pdf 4. Marine Institute Deep Sea rover: https://www.searover.ie/about.php 5. Kerry Tides of Time documentary: https://www.rte.ie/player/series/kerry-tides-of-time/10000923-00-0000?epguid=IP10000924-01-0001 6. EU Natura 2000 Protected Areas Network: https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/natura-2000/the-natura-2000-protected-areas-network 7. David Attenborough Ocean Film: https://www.oceanfilm.net/

We are delighted to launch the new series by bringing you this conversation with the iconic Kate Raworth! Kate is the renowned creator of Doughnut Economics, a new paradigm of economics which aims to achieve human wellbeing for all within the planet's ecological limits. Kate gives Daithí an overview of how she became disillusioned with mainstream economics as a student, and how taking a step back from academia and getting some hands-on experience in the Global South sowed the seeds for her to literally redraw the model of economics. The model for a new regenerative and distributive economy draws on The UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Planetery Boundaries from The Stockholm Resilience Centre, and Kate describes how the alternatives to GDP for monitoring the prosperity of an economy will vary from one context to another. This is being proven by cities, companies and communities around the world who are finding ways to thrive in balance with support from the Doughnut Economics Action Lab. The conversation is energetic and informative, and Kate is a source of endless wisdom and humility - she is equally inspired by the movement of Doughnut Economics as they were inspired by her! 1. Kate's Website: https://www.kateraworth.com/about/ 2. Doughnut Economics Action Lab: https://doughnuteconomics.org/about-doughnut-economics 3. Kate's Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhcrbcg8HBw&pp=ygUQa2F0ZSByYXdvcnRoIHRlZA%3D%3D 4. Universal Values wheel by Schwartz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_basic_human_values 5. UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ 6. Stockholm Resilience Centre's Planetary Boundaries Study (Rockstrom et al.): https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries.html 7. Greta Thunberg - 'The Climate Book': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Climate_Book 8. The Irish Doughnut Economics Network: https://wiki.irishdenetwork.org/Home

For the final episode of the series, Daithí talks to author and rewilder, Eoghan Daltun. They chat about the process Eoghan set in motion in the mid 2000’s to restore healthy native ecosystems on his 73-acre farm on the Beara Peninsula, Cork. Hear about the recovery of the ecosystems, the diversity of native species that he has seen returning to the forest, as well as the harm caused to the woodland regeneration process by alien invasive species, such as Sika deer. A small farmer himself, Eoghan strongly advocates that landowners should be rewarded for protecting ecosystems due to the benefits they provide for society, such as flood prevention and resilience to wildfires. Eoghan also has some very interesting views on the classification of what constitutes a native species and makes a compelling case for the introduction of various species, including Beavers.                                                                           After the interview, musician Brían MacGloinn of Ye Vagabonds closes the episode with his beautiful song 'Cuckoo'. - Links: 1. Eoghan's Instagram: @irishrainforest                              2. Eoghan's 2024 Book - 'The Magic of an Irish Rainforest: A Visual Journey': https://www.kennys.ie/shop/signed-by-the-author-new/the-magic-of-an-irish-rainforest-a-visual-journey-eoghan-daltun-9781399725606                                            3. Eoghan's First book - 'An Irish Atlantic Rainforest': https://www.kennys.ie/shop/an-irish-atlantic-rainforest-eoghan-daltun-9781399705295                                            4. Ecosystem Services: https://www.nature.scot/scotlands-biodiversity/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-and-cop15/ecosystem-approach/ecosystem-services-natures-benefits                                                                                       5. Nature Restoration Law: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/nature-restoration-law-enters-force-2024-08-15_en                     6. E. O. Wilson: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-O-Wilson                                                                                         7. George Monbiot: https://www.monbiot.com/                 8. IUCN on Rewilding: https://iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/benefits-and-risks-rewilding                                        9. London Natural History Museum Biodiversity Intactness Index: https://tnfd.global/tools-platforms/local-biodiversity-intactness-index/              10. Brían MacGloinn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grianmacbloinn/

We are delighted to bring you a conversation on the environmental impacts of technology with web designer and digital consultant Gerry McGovern. Daithí and Gerry have a wide-ranging talk about topics such as e-waste and the challenges of recycling most phones and laptops; how to lengthen the life of your devices; the embedded water and material impacts of devices and the huge demand for mining of metals that they create; the amount of unnecessary data that is created every year and the energy required to store it; how you can employ simple strategies to use less data; how to make your website use less energy; the large energy requirements of Artificial Intelligence; how Gerry is heartened by the Right to Repair movement and the potential of community activism to drive change. Music in this episode comes from Samuel Arnold Keane. Links: 1. Gerry McGovern - https://gerrymcgovern.com/world-wide-waste/                 2. Gerry's Podcast 'World Wide Waste' - https://www.thisishcd.com/podcast-category/world-wide-waste-with-gerry-mcgovern                                          3. e-waste toxicity in landfill - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352186421006970#:~:text=1%20(Chen%20et%20al.%2C,70%25%20in%20terms%20of%20toxicity.                               4. Statistics on lifecycle carbon emissions of a phone - https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/your-phone-really-smart#:~:text=Yet%2C%20around%2080%20per%20cent,the%20lifespan%20of%20devices%20shrinks   5. Rare earth metals present in phones - https://www.acs.org/education/chemmatters/past-issues/archive-2014-2015/smartphones.html#:~:text=Scandium%20and%20yttrium%20are%20included,the%2017%20rare%20earth%20metals.                                                                                        6. Recycling Rate of e-waste - https://unitar.org/about/news-stories/press/global-e-waste-monitor-2024-electronic-waste-rising-five-times-faster-documented-e-waste-recycling                                   7. Fairphone - https://www.fairphone.com/nl                    8. Energy demand of any website - https://www.websitecarbon.com/                                               9. Data centre energy use in Ireland 2023 - https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-dcmec/datacentresmeteredelectricityconsumption2023/keyfindings/#:~:text=The%20percentage%20of%20total%20metered%20electricity%20consumption%20accounted%20for%20by,10%25%20(See%20Infographic).                                                      10. Google's plans to build data centre in Uruguay - https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/aug/01/uruguay-anger-environmental-cost-google-datacentre-carbon-emissions-toxic-waste-water                                               11. Lifecycle emissions comparison of EV vs Internal Combustion Engine car - https://www.visualcapitalist.com/life-cycle-emissions-evs-vs-combustion-engine-vehicles/                                  12. Projection for growth in material extraction demand to 2050 https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/foresight/topic/aggravating-resource-scarcity/raw-materials-non-renewable-resources_en                           13. 10x more energy required for AI search compared to traditional search engines - https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/6b2fd954-2017-408e-bf08-952fdd62118a/Electricity2024-Analysisandforecastto2026.pdf                                          14. Electricity consumption from data centres, AI and the cryptocurrency sector could double by 2026 - https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-2024/executive-summary                                                                                   15. Right to Repair Directive - https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240419IPR20590/right-to-repair-making-repair-easier-and-more-appealing-to-consumers 16. Samuel Arnold Keane - https://www.instagram.com/samyelyel/

Daithí is joined by Louise O'Mahony, head of Sustainable Banking at Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI). Louise gives fascinating insights into all things sustainable finance, including the huge increase in green lending in recent years and why private finance is so essential to meeting our emissions targets; an overview of environmental regulations pertaining to the finance sector and why the European Central bank is so concerned about Climate Change, [food harvest and flooding]; and some policies and tools that would help banks to be more ambitious with their sustainability-linked lending. After the interview, Daithí gives five top tips for greening your own finances. Music in this episode is the stunning Mountain Song, by Anna Mieke. Links 1. Banking and Payments Federation Ireland - https://bpfi.ie                                               2. European Commission on Sustainable Finance - https://finance.ec.europa.eu/sustainable-finance/overview-sustainable-finance_en              3. SEAI Grants - https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/                                              4. ECB has climate risks as second-highest priority: https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/banking/priorities/html/ssm.supervisory_priorities202312~a15d5d36ab.en.html                                         5. EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en                                         6. ECB Climate and Environment Risk Guide: https://www.bankingsupervision.europa.eu/press/pr/date/2020/html/ssm.pr201127~5642b6e68d.en.html       7. Montreal agreement - Taskforce on nature–related financial disclosures: https://tnfd.global/              8. Christine Lagarde ECB president - 70% of banks’ loan portfolios is to high-emitting sectors: https://greencentralbanking.com/2024/01/29/eurozone-banks-face-serious-transition-risks-ecb/               9. Bank Of England research on connection between energy performance and reduced risk of mortgage default: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/working-paper/2023/the-greening-of-lending-mortgage-pricing-of-energy-transition-risk.pdf