UCD Earth Institute Democracy & the Environment Series I Rural Transitions

UCD Earth Institute Democracy and the Environment Series; 'Rural Transitions'

The UCD Earth Institute presents the 'Democracy and the Environment Series', a sequence of seminars and discussions focused on the role of democracy and the environment, citizen trust in public institutions, and the sustainability agenda in the context of the local and presidential elections.

This event will be hosted in person at the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) in Dublin, and capacity is limited. Advanced registration is required.

Context: 2024 The Most Important Year for Democracy

2024 is the most significant election year in history. Approximately 60 countries representing more than half of the world's total population will elect their representatives in presidential, legislative and local elections across the globe. From South to North America, across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, citizens will vote in the most ambitious year for democracy. In many countries, at the centre of the elections, amongst other topics, climate change, sustainability and climate transition will be part of the conversation that will decide the future of each country. The relevance of this year's elections deserves the facilitation of a space to highlight the work of the researchers and connect it with the broader society, including citizens, local authorities, politicians and academia, enabling a space for collaboration and conversation.

Democracy and the Environment Series I: Rural Transitions

Tuesday, 26th March 2024. 12:00 - 14:00 MoLI (Museum of Literature Ireland; 86 St Stephen's Green Dublin 2.

The upcoming session, 'Rural Transitions' will focus on climate adaptation and renewable development in the context of rural areas and the opportunities and threats for a sustainable and successful climate transition in rural Ireland.

The seminar will feature rural expert Dr Karen Keaveney (Head of Subject in Rural Development, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, and Vice-President of the Geographical Society of Ireland) with the presentation 'Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and Irish Towns' and the presentation 'The Role of Climate Justice in Securing Local Development for Rural Communities' by Kieran Harrahill (PhD Candidate and Researcher at BiOrbic). The sessions will be followed by a conversation panel facilitated by the speakers and, with the participation of Dr Andrew Forde from the Department of Rural and Community Development. The audience will be able to engage in a Q&A session, and participants will be able to make connections with similar perspectives around the outline of rural transition in Ireland, facilitated by a light networking lunch at the end of the seminar.

This event will be hosted in person, and capacity is limited. We ask that you register only if you can attend this event.

Biography

Dr Karen Keaveney

Dr. Karen Keaveney is Head of Subject for Rural Development in the School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin. She leads the 'Citizen Rural Research Lab' in the School of Agriculture and Food Science, and is a founding member of the UCD Centre for Irish Towns (CfIT). Karen is Principal Investigator for the Irish Research Council (IRC) funded project: 'Citizen Rural: Digital Data for Participatory Democracy in Remote Places' which is examining data and evidence for bottom-up decision-making in rural localities. Additional current projects include: InPLACE - Investigating Place, Planning and Commuting which is examining post-covid commuting impacts on rural towns.

Previously, Karen was a Lecturer in Rural Spatial Planning in Queen's University Belfast. She has held a number of visiting appointments internationally, including Visiting Research Fellow in the Joint Centre for Housing Studies, Harvard University, and Visiting Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto. She has been a member of both the Social Science and Geographical Sciences Committees in the Royal Irish Academy. She is currently the UCD representative on the Department for Rural and Community Development 'Our Rural Future' HEI Network, and is a member of the Rural Housing Subcommittee of the Housing Commission.

She is a qualified Urban and Regional Planner (UCD) with an undergraduate degree in Human and Physical Geography (University of Galway) and PhD in Geography (Maynooth University) entitled 'Contested Ruralities: Housing in the Irish Countryside'. Karen is a Rural Geographer and Planner, with research interests in rural planning and housing, rural development, and agricultural education. She has expertise in co-design in local decision-making and governance, rural power relations and socio-economic change in the countryside. Her publications and research include the areas of policy responses to rural change, cross-border and inter-jurisdictional planning, local government reform, and planning on the island of Ireland. In 2023 she was elected to the position of Vice-President of the Geographical Society of Ireland.

Kieran Harrahill, MSc and PhD Candidate

Kieran’s research interests focus on ensuring that a move away from pollutant industries is achieved in a manner which maintains the living standards of those employed in industries which create carbon emissions. The thesis for his MSc in Environmental Policy entailed developing a framework for achieving a ‘just transition’ in coal producing jurisdictions. A core interest in Kieran’s work is ensuring that a connection is made between the merits of environmental policy and the daily lives of citizens. 

At BiOrbic, Kieran’s research is focused on producer perspectives on the bioeconomy. The title of Kieran’s PhD thesis is A farmer-centred approach to understanding Ireland’s bioeconomy in the context of Just Transition. This research seeks to identify what are the perceptions of producers within the agricultural industry towards the bioeconomy and whether there is the potential for the bioeconomy to reduce producers’ dependence on agricultural activities, which provide them with an income but also contribute significantly to Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas emissions.

Kieran is currently working as a senior researcher in climate justice with TASC, the think tank for action on social change. Kieran is leading a nationwide initiative called the People’s Transition. Working with diverse communities across Ireland, the aim of the People’s Transition is to co-create climate solutions which can address immediate challenges facing communities and build support for climate action.

Dr Andrew Forde,

Principal Officer, Rural Regeneration Unit, Department of Rural and Community Development

Dr Andrew Forde is responsible at Principal Officer level for oversight of the delivery of the €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the National TidyTowns Competition, the Local Improvement Scheme as well as the development and implementation of the National Town Centre First Policy.

Host or Publisher UCD Earth Institute