Code Red is a climate change podcast from the Institute for Climate and Society at Dublin City University, Ireland. The series looks at how the worlds of policy, politics, the media, the arts, and other sectors have responded to climate breakdown and biodiversity loss. Code Red features an interesting and diverse mix of guests from academia, policy, the cultural industries and civil society.
Series host: Dr Dave Robbins
Series 3 producer & editor: Louise Romain
Series 1&2 producer: Monica Hayes
Sound for series 1&2: Eoin Campbell, Damien Hickey.
With thanks to the DCU School of Communications
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As an Environmental Psychologist, Cassandra Murphy is a PhD researcher and educator dedicated to understanding the profound bond between people and the natural world. Her work explores how building a relationship with nature can enhance human well-being and inspire sustainable behaviours. Cassie advocates for recognizing personal definitions of nature and integrating simple, daily practices to enhance this relationship. She emphasizes the importance of re-establishing a relationship with nature,...
John Barry, Professor of Green Political Economy, explains how economics is inherently political and criticizes capitalism as the root of the ecological crisis. He argues for mandatory climate education in universities, acknowledging the emotional toll on students, and highlights the need for a "justice transformation" over mere "just transition." Barry advocates for revolutionary change, emphasizing decommodification and democratizing the economy, while cautioning against passive techno-optimism and calling for active hope.
john gerrard is a contemporary artist, whose sculptures and installations take the form of digital simulations displayed using real-time computer graphics. gerrard’s practice draws on technology originally developed for military and gaming use, which he adapts to create slow, meditative portraits of industrial landscapes and ecological change. Often set in remote or symbolic locations, these works hold a mirror to systems of extraction, labour and environmental breakdown. His works unfold contin...
Sarah O'Neill is a passionate and innovative fashion designer, and a consultant at The Zero Waster, a platform dedicated to promoting sustainable and zero-waste practices within the fashion industry. In this episode, Sarah shares about her journey and inspirations in sustainable fashion. With her extensive background in apparel design, she leverages her expertise in sustainable design and product development to create clothing that not only meets aesthetic standards but also aligns with the prin...
Jon is the author of ‘CITIZENS: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us’ and dedicates himself to sharing about the emergence of a Citizen Future. As a public speaker and a strategist, he supports leaders who understand the scale of the transformation we need and who are willing to play their part, and he plays a key role as a connector between institutions, community groups and social movements. In this episode, Jon first discusses his career transition from advertising to co-founding the...
Lisa serves as the Strategy and Sustainability lead at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). She integrates long-term vision with environmental and social responsibility, ensuring sustainability is embedded at the heart of the museum. Each year, she organises the museum’s flagship festival Earth Rising: an ambitious platform exploring the intersection of contemporary art, ecological innovation, and community resilience. In this episode, she explains what it takes to curate the annual Earth Risi...
This episode links eco-anxiety with the ocean by virtue of our two contributors whose work and play centers around the ocean. They are Linzi Hawkin, surfer and co-founder of Project Blue and fellow surfer Easkey Britton, an author and social scientist. In this thought provoking episode we hear about what eco-anxiety is and how to deal with it, the role of the ocean in our health and wellbeing and what the ocean can teach us in today's often challenging world. Host: Dr. Dave Robbins, School of Co...
The media have often being criticisd for their role in climate change inaction, and their framing of the climate change discourse is regularly called into question. In this episode of Code Red we bring you a panel discussion which took place during the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s Earth Rising Festival where our host, Dr. David Robbins discussed the challenges that environmental journalists face when delivering climate change stories to the Irish public. Host: Dr. Dave Robbins, School of Communi...
The advertising industry has been hugely effective in driving the growth that has contributed to the climate crisis we now face and is instrumental in creating unsustainable consumption. In this episode we meet the agents of change within the industry who seek to catalyse advertising's climate transition towards halving emissions by 2030. They call themselves Purpose Disruptors and their vision is an advertising industry transformed in service to a thriving future. Host: Dr. Dave Robbins, School...
In this episode we are delighted to chat with Dan Saladino, journalist, broadcaster and author of ‘Eating to Extinction”. His research examines how the current lack of food diversity is having a negative impact on the health of the planet, and on human health as well. He discusses the power of storytelling in helping us reform the broken food system of the present through the identification of successful food production and consumption stories from the past. In this episode we also explore the r...
In this episode, we unpick the problems inherent in fast fashion and explore societal and regulatory responses to creating a more a sustainable industry. We examine the role of social media in driving consumption, ponder on the gender divide that makes preloved apparel more attractive to women and hear about new EU policies that will move the industry into the circular economy system. Host: Dr. Dave Robbins Guests: Gwen Cunningham, Lead for Circularity and Sustainability at NCAD and Co-founder o...
In this episode, we explore corporate responses to the climate and biodiversity emergencies. We examine the new reporting obligations that corporations are facing in terms of their sustainability, discuss greenwashing, debate the power of consumers, investors, and regulators in pressuring corporations to become more sustainable, and examine terms such as net zero and scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Host: Dr. Dave Robbins Guests: Aoife Connaughton, Sustainability Strategy and Risk Lead for Deloitte I...
In this episode of the Code Red climate podcast, we speak to three Irish nature writers about the recent boom in environmental literature. What motivated them to write about the environment? Have our perceptions of what constitutes a wild landscape changed? What is the state of wild nature in Ireland? Host: Dr. Dave Robbins Guests: - Mary Reynolds, reformed landscape designer, author of We Are The Ark: Returning Our Gardens to their True Nature with Acts of Restorative Kindness, and founder of t...
The economic system, the energy system, the agriculture system - all of society's systems - need to change in response to climate breakdown. But just how difficult is it to change systems especially when they are supported by policy and the status quo. What will systems change look like and will it bring a better quality of life to all? These are some of the questions we tackle in this episode 'A Systems Response to Climate Change' Host: Dr. Dave Robbins Guests: Deirdre Duff, Head of Communicati...
The humanities and social sciences have an important role to play in helping us find different ways to think and talk about climate change, and to engage with the defining issue of our times. In this podcast, we look at the differences between the humanities and the social sciences and speak to our guests about how their expertise and research in film studies and policy studies can help to bring about climate action. Host: Dr. Dave Robbins Guests: Janet Walker, Professor of Film and Media Studie...
Can movies help us understand climate change? Film has a unique ability to engage and move people. It is an ideal medium to inform and motivate audiences around climate action. But can movies with an environmental theme also discourage audiences by lecturing them? The role of eco-cinema is explored in this episode, and the influence of movies such as An Inconvenient Truth and Don't Look Up! are discussed. Host: Dr. Dave Robbins Guests: Eco-cinema researcher Prof. Pat Brereton, documentary expert...
