RTÉ increases focus on the climate crisis with dedicated RTÉ On Climate content
Brand-new documentaries and features with Irish perspective on the global climate crisis and practical ways we can all make a difference
RTÉ has announced that it is to put an increased focus on climate with dedicated content to coincide with Science Week. RTÉ On Climate will see brand-new content across tv, radio and online, and dedicated news features across the week of the 11th to 15th of November.
RTÉ On Climate will also put youth voices to the fore with the convening of the RTÉ Youth Assembly on Climate in Dáil Éireann. Meanwhile digital radio station RTÉ Pulse will transform into Generation 2 for the week.
Beginning on Monday 11 November, RTÉ On Climate will look at issues affecting us all, from city dwellers to rural communities with a range of content across all services and platforms for audiences aged 8 and upwards. It will give voice to Ireland’s youngest citizens and serve all audiences with an Irish perspective on the global crisis looking at choices big and small to be made.
Dee Forbes, Director General, RTÉ said: “The world is rising to the burning issue of climate change, and here in Ireland our young people have been especially moved by the climate crisis. This special week reflects the growing concern, globally and here at home, and offers a whole range of content that not only analyses where we are and how we got here, but looks at what we can do. Ultimately our own individual actions will define how we as a community respond on this issue. RTÉ On Climate is our contribution to framing, explaining and, ultimately, moving us all one step closer to solving the problem.”
RTÉ will put Ireland at the centre of this global crisis by asking questions such as Will Ireland Survive 2050?, it will ask questions of our policy response and point to potential solutions in Hot Air – Ireland’s Climate Crisis, as well as providing practical solutions for Irish people to make small changes and deliver a big difference in a new three-part series What Planet Are You On?, supported by Science Foundation Ireland.
Welcoming the announcement Dr Ruth Freeman, Director Science for Society, Science Foundation Ireland, said “Science Foundation Ireland is delighted that RTÉ have chosen Science Week to focus on Climate. We are also proud to partner with RTÉ for What Planet Are You On?”
RTÉ News will add to its coverage of climate and environmental issues with a range of special reports and live programming. RTE’s Environment and Science Correspondent, George Lee, will produce a series spanning the week, while Paul Cunningham travels to the Arctic Circle and visits the western towns in Greenland most impacted by climate change.
RTÉ Radio 1 will build on their ongoing coverage of environmental, biodiversity and sustainability issues with a range of special reports and studio discussions across daily programmes beginning with Morning Ireland.
On Monday 11 November at 9:35pm on RTÉ One, meteorologist Gerald Fleming and climate activist Dr. Cara Augustenborg examine the disturbing consequences of extreme global weather and ask the question: Will Ireland Survive 2050?
On Tuesday at 9:35pm on RTÉ One, Phillip Boucher- Hayes looks at the biggest areas to be addressed to meet the emissions reduction targets Ireland has signed up to in Hot Air-Ireland’s Climate Crisis .
RTÉ Player will drop a new four part series called My Best Sustainable Life, which follows Nadia Forde, the 2 Johnnies, Lauren Guilfoyle, Thumper and Bonnie Ann Clyde, as they take on the commitment to change one aspect of their life to help the planet.
What Planet are you On?, presented by Maia Dunphy and funded by Science Foundation Ireland, is a three part series on RTÉ One which shows families tackling real challenges in the areas of water, waste, energy and food and in their homes.
For Ireland’s younger viewers, RTÉjr follows 12-year-old Flossie Donnelly in My Story: The Beach Cleaneras she travels to Indonesia to learns more about solving the plastic problem in our oceans and RTÉjr Radio will host a brand new series called Ecolution, News2daywill continue to shine a light on climate issues for 8-12 year olds, as well as hosting a special live broadcast from Dáil Eireann for the RTÉ Youth Assembly on Climate.
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and Nuacht RTÉ will co-produce a series of short vignettes called Rud Amhain; 2FM’s Tara Stewart will explore sustainable fashion in a brand-new podcasts series called Dirty Laundry, and climate ‘life hack’ videos called Doesn’t Cost the Earth will be available on RTÉ Player.
RTÉ News mobile journalists are creating a series of short films for social and digital platforms, asking people from across Ireland about why climate issues matter to them.
www.rte.ie/climate will feature articles, tips and hacks throughout the week.
Note to Editors:
On Monday 11 November at 9:35pm on RTÉ One, meteorologist Gerald Fleming and climate activist Dr. Cara Augustenborg examine the disturbing consequences of extreme global weather and ask the question: Will Ireland Survive 2050? The one hour dynamic and dramatically constructed documentary will feature representations of what our country and your area could look like if we don’t take considerable, and in some cases, radical action now.
RTÉ Player will drop a new four part series on Monday 11 November called My Best Sustainable Life, which follows Nadia Forde, 2 Johnnies, Lauren Guilfoyle, Thumper and Bonnie Ann Clyde as they take on the commitment to change one aspect of their life to help the planet. Over the period of a week, viewers can watch as they adjust to their new routine and decide if they can live their best sustainable life for good.
On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 12- 14 November at 7pm What Planet are you On?, presented by Maia Dunphy and funded by Science Foundation Ireland, is a three part series on RTÉ One which shows families tackling real challenges in the areas of water, waste, energy and food and in their homes. Guided by experts, the series which continues on Wednesday and Thursday will give us practical tips on small changes we can make that save us money while doing our bit to save the planet.
On Tuesday 12 November at 9:35pm on RTÉ One, Hot Air- Ireland’s Climate Crisis Phillip Boucher- Hayes examines what it’s going to take for Ireland to play its part in solving the problem in this one hour documentary. It looks at the biggest areas to be addressed to meet the emissions reduction targets Ireland has signed up to.
The Today Show with Maura and Daithí on RTÉ One from Monday 11 November to Friday 15 November will feature a number of Climate related items across the week.
RTÉ Radio 1 Building on a proud record of coverage of environmental and biodiversity issues, Radio 1 will analyse climate change policy in Ireland during RTÉ on Climate Week, through a range of special reports and studio discussions across daily programmes.
Coverage will extend from a special Mooney Goes Wild, featuring Nobel Prize-winning scientists and campaigning political figures, to a dedicated special Drivetime outside broadcast; and from a Late Debate focus on political party promises to live reporting from the RTÉ Youth Assembly on Today with Sean O’Rourke. Della Kilroy will also lead reports on international climate issues like flooding, clothing production and workers rights. RTÉ Radio 1’s coverage will give prominence to young campaigners, to farmers and those based in rural Ireland, to the role and needs of business, and to the leading scientists and best international experts in the climate field.
George Lee, RTE’s Environment and Science Correspondent will produce a series spanning the week across RTÉ News platforms looking at a new theme each day. He will have reports from Dublin to Donegal, from Leitrim to Cork and to our nearest neighbour. Lee looks at Ireland’s extreme weather, forestry and farming and the serious issue of food waste – its impact on the bigger picture and waste in terms of energy and natural resources. He will also spend time in a town taking the responsibility of climate action to heart.
RTÉ’s Paul Cunningham travels to the Arctic Circle and visits the western towns in Greenland, most impacted by climate change. With the UN confirming July 2019 as the hottest ever recorded, Cunningham assess the impact on a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the changes visible since his last visit for RTÉ News in 2006. He travels to Copenhagen to revisit the scientists who had warned of the increased glacial melt, witnesses how their predication have come true. Cunningham’s News series features interviews with locals who already see dramatic changes in their every day lives from fishermen to hotel operators, tour guides and local school children. The three-part series will air on for RTÉ TV News; includes a special report for News2Day; as well as material for RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland and RTÉ Online.
RTÉ Radio 1 schedule: Monday 11 November
1000-1200 Today with Sean O’Rourke – Evelyn O’Rourke reports from Galway on a recycling programme that uses a social enterprise employment model to help people (including young Travellers) learn a skill – and recycle mattresses.
1400-1600 Mooney Goes Wild Town Hall on Climate – a special town-hall event on climate change, hosted by Derek Mooney, featuring an audience of young people and students, at Maynooth University. This event will be recorded for broadcast on RTE Radio on Monday 11 November.
2130-2300 Mooney Goes Wild – a specially-extended climate change special, focusing on the current state of climate change and projects responding to the challenge, featuring: leading climatologists, scientists, biodiversity experts and botanists, including Nobel-laureate John Sweeney; discussion of international responses and issues, including polar ice and policies of the US government; interviews with former President Mary Robinson and Minister for Climate Action Richard Bruton; and a solutions-based story about a UCD project on growing food in changed carbon environments.
Thursday 14 November
2200-2300 The Late Debate – Katie Hannon hosts a live studio debate on political parties’ climate change positions.
Friday 15 November
1000-1200 Today with Sean O’Rourke – Evelyn O’Rourke reports live from the Youth Parliament on Climate in Dáil Éireann.
Saturday 16 November
1300-1400 Saturday with Cormac O hEadhra – political discussion addressing the climate recommendations proposed by the Youth Parliament on Climate.
Sunday 10 November
2000-2100 Drama on One – The Department of Ultimology, by artists Fiona Hallinan and Kate Strain with a musical score by Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. The radio essay makes a study of endings, from personal stories to history of art to the climate emergency. In particular the essay features Salim Kajani, one of the eloquent voices at the centre of Irish schools protests calling for action in the climate emergency, and a short reflection on the ‘funeral service’ held in Iceland to mark the melting of the Okjokull glacier.
RTÉ Pulse and 2FM
From the 11-15 November RTÉ Pulse will transform into Generation 2. The ‘take-over’ will be portrayed through imaging, pulse presenters will discuss climate change and playlists complied from participants in the Youth Assembly will be heard over the week. 2FM will also be part of this week with interviews about climate week, ‘shower challenges’ and also sending chosen presenters to a recycling factory.
RTÉjr’s My Story: The Beach Cleaner is a two part series that Flossie Donnelly a 12 year old Dublin child obsessed with picking up rubbish and plastic from her local beaches in Dun Laoghaire. Flossie travels to Indonesia to visit one of the world’s ‘dirtiest’ rivers. She learns that solving the plastic problem in our oceans and seas is not as simple as she first thought.
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and Nuacht RTÉ will co-produce a series of short vignettes called Rud Amháin. These short videos will feature personal testaments from people when have made a change or who plan to make one change because of climate change awareness.
2FM’s Tara Stewart will explore sustainable fashion in a brand-new RTÉ podcasts series called Dirty Laundry. The series will cover areas from the way we buying clothes, to what the future holds for influencers in the fashion space, and how the big brands are handling the climate crisis.
From Monday 11 November RTÉ Player will offer ‘life hacks’ on Doesn’t Cost the Earth. This short series presents effective changes you can make that can save you money, while helping the planet. Many of us like the idea of living more sustainably but it can be daunting and costly! What manageable changes can we make without emptying our bank accounts?
On Friday 15 November RTÉ Youth Assembly on Climate RTÉ,in association with the Houses of the Oireachtas, will host the Youth Assembly which will be convened in Dáil Éireann. This momentous day will see 157 young Irish people from 10 to 17 years of age focus and debate on the following themes; environment, economics, food and farming, power and education. The event will be chaired by Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl. The delegates gathering from across the Republic Ireland will convene in Leinster House to establish what they would like to see as the next urgent steps for Ireland and present them to the nation live from the Dáil Chamber in a News2day special live broadcast on RTÉ 2 and on Oireachtas TV. For information on the Youth Assembly go to https://www.rte.ie/news/youth-assembly-delegates-2019/
| ‘ v:shapes=”LPThumbnailImageId891522″> | Youth Assembly Delegates – rte.ieThe 157 delegates for the RTÉ Youth Assembly on Climate have been confirmed. The delegates represent all 26 counties and range in age from 10 to 17. On Friday 15 November they will convene the …www.rte.ie |
During the week of the 11-15 November, News2Day on RTÉ2 will feature a report from Paul Cunningham interviewing school children in Greenland about their thoughts on climate change and interviews from young Irish people who have shown leadership in the area.
From Monday 11 November at 7pm RTÉjr Radio will host a brand new series called Ecolution. Presented by climate youth activist James Dunne (15) this series will focus on biodiversity, waste, energy, emissions, water and action. The series will also be available on RTÉ Player, Spotify and Apple podcast.
RTÉ Brainstorm, which goes behind stories with reports, features, opinion and analysis about Ireland will produce special daily reports on climate from the 11-15 November. Articles include ‘5 ways a household can reduce carbon emissions’ to ‘No more polar bears – the impact of climate change visuals’ to ‘6 alternative ways for Irish farmers to use their land’.