Climate Change Research Programme
Undertaking research on climate change issues is essential to understand the impacts that global warming may have on our planet. Research also helps to address what measures will be needed to adapt to these impacts and how we can mitigate against the effects.
Thematic Areas
Research is carried out under the following four thematic areas:
Grant awards have been made to numerous projects and fellowships in the thematic areas above, and also a number of cross-cutting projects on air and climate issues. The research outputs are aimed at strengthening data and the information base and filling gaps in knowledge with the specific objective of informing policy and decision making on emissions targets and options for adaptation to climate change.
Background and Funding
Climate Change is one of the principal thematic areas covered by the EPA STRIVE Research Programme 2007-2013, which follows on from the 2000-2006 ERTDI Research Programme. In March 2007 the Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government allocated €8 million to the EPA specifically for a Climate Change Research Programme. This funding is provided by the Inter-Departmental Committee for the Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation. A programme of research has been approved following wide ranging consultation. This programme is directed at addressing specific knowledge gaps of direct relevance to the National Climate Change Strategy prepared by the Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government. The first call for research proposals was announced in June 2007. Smaller scale project and fellowship calls were also made in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Climate Change Research Co-ordination committee
A national climate change research co-ordination committee has been established by the EPA. This group includes representatives of the main government departments and agencies with responsibility for climate change research. It is working to improve co-ordination of climate change research, sharing of data and communication of research outputs to policy makers and decision makers.
Who else is undertaking climate change research ?
The EPA works closely with a number of government departments, state agencies and other stakeholders on climate change issues. Many of these stakeholders are engaged in climate change projects with the EPA and/or are undertaking their own specific research. Some of the main stakeholders are presented below;
Coford
Department of Agriculture Food and Fisheries
Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Marine Institute
Sustainable Energy Ireland
Teagasc
International Climate Research Collaboration
At a European level, the EPA works as a partner with the Climate Impact Research Cordination for a Larger Europe (CIRCLE-2) group. CIRCLE-2 works to coordinate European transnational research funding on Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation (CCIVA) and to facilitate the transfer of research outcomes that European and national decision makers need to design effective yet economically efficient Adaptation initiatives and strategies. Further details can be found on their website:
Learn more about....
ERTDI climate change projects undertaken in the period 2000 to 2006.
Recent EPA Climate Change Research Reports
Research calls and funding opportunities
EPA Public Climate Change Lecture series
Research Conference 2010
The EPA's 2010 Climate Change Conference took place on June 30th 2010 in the Aviva Stadium, Landowne Road, Dublin. This conference show-cased Irish climate research and featured a range of Irish and international speakers. Slides from all presentations at the conference are available on the EPA's SlideShare account, and 3 of the talks given at the conference are available on the EPA's YouTube Channel.
Tyndall Conference 2011
The EPA, together with the Royal Irish Academy, organised the Tyndall Conference 2011 to mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of John Tyndall’s breakthrough experimental work on the absorption of infrared radiation by various atmospheric gases that are essentially transparent to solar radiation. Further information can be found on the Tyndall Conference 2011 website.
Contact Us
For general queries regarding climate change research please e-mail climateresearch@epa.ie or call EPA's Dublin office at +353-1 2680100.