Irish public feels ‘more despair than hope' about climate change, new research reveals
A greater proportion said they felt despair than said they felt hope and just one in seven believed the Government had a clear climate action plan that co-ordinated action between the State, business and people.
The research shows that people want to be more involved in climate action and recommends that 'community climate hubs' are set up to pool ideas.
The findings come from the fourth round of the annual Climate Conversations consultation exercise undertaken by the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment.
Just under 2,000 people responded, expressing their concerns around climate change and their role in responding to it. The overwhelming majority, 90pc, said they were worried about climate change, 71pc being 'very worried'.
Extreme weather events and global insecurity due to migration and food shortages were the main impacts feared.
When asked about their emotional response to the issue, frustration was the dominant feeling, reported by 67pc.
Worry came next, reported by 54pc, followed by powerlessness, at 51pc. Anger, sadness and anxiety were also reported.
A small proportion, 6pc, reported feeling apathetic and 9pc were resigned to the issue, while 12pc reported feeling confused and 11pc felt sceptical.
Of those involved in community organisations, 54pc said there was some element of climate action to their participation.
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Litter and waste management were the main activities, reported by 31pc, followed by active travel and sustainable transport, 29pc, and land use or forestry initiatives, 26pc.
Among those not involved in any form of community climate action, a majority said they would like to do something.
Growing food in community gardens was the most popular suggestion, getting a positive response from 60pc, followed by active and sustainable mobility initiatives, 58pc, and repair and reuse projects, 52pc.
The report found misconceptions around the impact of certain climate action measures with people undervaluing the emissions reductions in switching to electric vehicles, installing heat pumps and reducing meat consumption. They tended to overstate the impact of recycling, reducing food waste and flying.
Climate minister Darragh O'Brien said the report provided the Government with a great understanding of the issues on the public's mind when it came to climate action.
However, the report notes that while views were gathered at various events, those who responded online tended to be more engaged with the topic than the general public and were also more likely to be urban dwellers, well-educated and more affluent.
The Climate Conversations 2025 consultation opens today and will accept submissions for the next 12 weeks.
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Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘Just be in the present moment': the tyranny of western McMindfulness
Sometimes, the present moment is precisely what we need. Sometimes, it is unbearable. The present moment is not a benign psychological state of calm and tranquillity; it is to be approached with caution because it is potent with possibility and the potential to unravel our cobbled-together lives. 'Just be in the present moment,' we might say to the overstretched parent, the struggling adolescent, the commuter getting home in the dark or the junior doctor 11 hours into another Friday night working in A&E. Often this is a heartfelt and well-intended response to witnessing our fellow humans in distress; an expression of a genuine desire to offer comfort and support. However, this is not always the wisest response; it ignores what we know about the human mind, obscures the structural issues that underpin much human distress and runs the risk of victim blaming. READ MORE Like every generation before us, when faced with the inevitable challenges of being human, we seek simple solutions to complex problems. We turn to our contemporary healers seeking a balm or a quick fix for the troubled heart and mind and the exhausted body. And now, more than ever, we place our hope, perhaps too readily, in the promise of the present moment, overestimating its power and mistaking it for a cure. These minds of ours seem to have minds of their own sometimes. Racing ahead, spiralling back, caught in loops or worry and scenes we never meant to replay. There is little doubt that the human mind needs to be rescued from the rollercoaster of worry and rumination, the cycle of graphic catastrophisation we are all gripped by from time to time. However, the imperative to simply 'be in the present moment' is often a well-meant but naive response that fails to grasp the complexity of the human mind. 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Advances in neuroscience tell us the brain does not behave like a machine, responding to commands, and switching gears on command. It is the product of millenniums of evolution, shaped to anticipate, remember and protect. It does not yield easily to commands such as 'just relax', 'don't be worrying' or 'be in the present moment'. Our brains are primed for vigilance, to detect threats, escape danger and act fast, not linger and reflect. This immediacy and reactivity once gave our ancestors a survival advantage in a threat-ridden world. It's a 'better safe than sorry' brain in the main; reflection weighing the pros and cons comes later; survival comes first. The human brain's ability to psychologically avoid and deny the present moment is a highly evolved way of protecting ourselves from being overwhelmed. 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Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
'Hugely significant' Irish archive donated to the State will be unveiled in Cork
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Daniel MacCarthy Glas, whose donated archive will be unveiled in the Cork City and County Archives in Blackpool later this month as part of the Daniel MacCarthy Glas Archive and Exhibition. The collection comprises an estimated 1,500 unique items including personal letters, manuscripts, photographs and drawings from Daniel and other family members. HISTORY HUB If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading 'The scope of the collection is immense, documenting a range of topics — from the MacCarthy aristocratic lineage, to 19th century poetry and historiography, the Irish nationalist movement, the history of early modern Ireland, the French Revolution of 1848, the British Empire in India and South Africa, emigration, and the Great Famine and its dire impact on the local population in West Cork,' Mr McGee said. 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Senior Cork City Council archivist Brian McGee and historian Michelle O'Mahony — who helped secure the Daniel MacCarthy Glas archive from the US — with some of the paintings which have been donated to the State. Many of his works involved painstaking research through State papers and other records, and he was in regular and detailed correspondence with celebrated Cork historian Richard Caulfield, the first librarian at UCC, and with a large circle of other Irish antiquarians, archaeologists, and early pioneers of Irish scholarship during the Irish historical awakening of the 19th century. He was also a noted philanthropist, sponsoring the education of students in Dunmanway, helping Catholic institutions, and helping to preserve historic buildings and monuments such as Togher Castle and St Patrick's Church in his native Dunmanway. Some of his family were poets and writers, and some held important positions, reflecting the fact that they intermarried with the British elite. 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Ms O'Mahony said she is delighted the collection is ready to be unveiled. 'It is of immense importance to Cork City, Cork county, nationally, and internationally. There was a lot of work involved in cataloguing it, and I'm just delighted to see it finally going on display,' she said.
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Richard Hogan: Being connected all the time doesn't always help loneliness
A study by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre found that Ireland has the highest rate of loneliness of all European countries. For such a small country, it is surprising that we should have such a prevalence of loneliness among our population. There have been a number of studies looking into loneliness. The World Health Organization recently said that teenage girls are the loneliest group in the world, and the Surgeon General in America classified loneliness as a new epidemic. In this modern world of extreme individuality and technology, something is getting left behind — us. Of course, you can be alone and feel like you're connected to everything, and then be at a party full of people and experience a profound sense of aching loneliness. In my experience, loneliness refers to the lack of mattering in your life. If we feel like our social connections are not strong, and that people don't respect us or see us, we can feel incredibly lonely. Every day, I hear young people tell me, in my clinic, that they feel irrelevant — like they don't even matter. They talk about themselves as if they are minor characters in a play. The pain this is causing them is difficult to sit with. We must understand what is causing such loneliness. Ireland has the second youngest population in Europe, with 60% of our population under 45 years of age. The median age in Ireland is 38.8. These statistics are important if we want to figure out how to do better as a country and develop policies that are loneliness-sensitive. I am currently carrying out a study into Gen Z, and my data so far has found that they are lonely, not going out socialising as much as previous generations, and are stuck on their phones. Young men are telling me that they would not go over and chat to a girl they found attractive at a bar, for fear of seeming 'creepy'. A heavy reliance on dating apps has made meeting someone transactional. If I looked at the following stats, I might swipe left: 'Loves Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, long walks, and doesn't care for cooking.' Yet, we are married and have three beautiful children. The brutal accuracy with which we are trying to connect with each other does not allow for anyone different or interesting to come into our lives. I'm seeing this in my research with Gen Z. Another aspect of this loneliness issue in Ireland is how the Government attempts to address the trend. All the research shows us that loneliness damages both physical and mental health. It can cause early death, cardiovascular issues, suicidality, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance. So, it is in the government's interest to fix this problem — and it should be achievable in such a small country. The Government's policy of 'social prescribing' involves the provision of non-clinical community services. However, these services help individuals to manage their loneliness but don't deal with the root causes. Rurality and the lack of transport and infrastructure in low-density areas is another serious issue. We have people living in rural Ireland who are essentially cut off from their community. If our government is serious about tackling this issue, we need to address it as a matter of urgency. We know that connecting to our community is vitally important for our health, and yet there are people in rural Ireland unable to go to the local shop because there is absolutely zero transport to bring them there. I think when we analyse something like loneliness, we immediately think about teenagers and technology, and we forget about people who might be elderly, living in low-density areas, who have only the tramp of the milkman or postman to keep them company. We must do better by people living in rural Ireland. We must invest in them. Loneliness is something we all feel from time to time, but there is something happening in Ireland that is causing a profound sense of being alone. I don't think we spend enough on private and public healthcare. Low expenditure in these domains, research shows, is linked with higher country-level loneliness. We must do better. I also think we rely too heavily on commercial pathways — such as cafés and shopping malls — for teenagers to connect. We do not provide them with enough places to go and socialise that are fun and healthy. They quite literally have nowhere to go. With all this talk about who will be the next President of this great country, we need someone who understands the issues facing Ireland and who is strong enough to try and implement change by engaging with the government and advocating for those who do not have a voice in our society. I sincerely hope it isn't some fading star looking to have their ego stroked, or a politician who thinks it might be a nice way to end their career. We need someone vibrant and strong, with a deep love for this country and its people. Rural Ireland is such a beautiful place. It is what makes this country so special. But we have to do better by the people living there, so that they are connected and able to join their community. For such a small country, we are essentially one big community — we should be more connected to each other. The Government must deliver on their Roadmap for Social Inclusion, but also start to invest in our people so they are not lonely.
