John Barry, Professor of Green Political Economy in the Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action at Queens University Belfast, will give his presentation on the need to bring together the literature on conflict transformation and energy transitions and examine the role and responsibility of academia during times of a planetary crisis.

Drawing on two recent projects, Prof. Niamh Moore-Cherry, UCD School of Geography and College of Social Sciences and Law, will give an account of how urban and regional policies and programmes must not exacerbate existing inequalities

Prof. Donna Marshall’s presentation will explore the tensions between economic, social and environmental demands of a fast fashion giant and the impact on its supply chain and specifically its workers.

Dr. Kate Flood, EPA researcher, and Aoife Kirk, project coordinator of Connecting Communities with Peatlands, will explore the cultural context and experiences of communities in the midlands regions of Ireland as they transition from extracting peat systems to more regenerative models. These transitions require ‘social-ecological’ investment and resourcing, both for the scientific aspects of peatland restoration, rewetting and conservation and the relational networks that are crucial to building the collaborative communities, cultures and economies of the future.

Lecturer and Assistant Professor Patrick Brodie, UCD School of Information and Communication Studies, will present on his work with Dr. Patrick Bresnihan, Maynooth University, about anti-extractivism and environmental justice movements in Ireland against multinationals.

Kieran Harrahill, senior researcher at TASC and PhD candidate, will give an give a background to Just Transition with relevance to the agricultural sector in Ireland, introduce bioeconomy production processes that reduce society’s reliance on fossil fuels, and give an overview of The People’s Transition initiative, led by TASC.