The Science Festival Climate Tour
March 18, 2023Northern Ireland Museums Council (NIMC), in collaboration with five local museums and the Northern Ireland Science Festival, is to bring expert-led conversations about climate change to local communities.
Museums bring Climate Change Conversation to Local Communities
The Science Festival Climate Tour will be held between Monday 20th and Friday 24th February.
The initiative aims to develop the role of local museums in community learning and discourse, by providing a platform for community members to learn about and discuss the impacts of climate change on their local area.
Local museums participating in the event include Linen Hall Library in Belfast, Down County Museum in Downpatrick, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Springhill House in Magherafelt, and the F.E.McWilliam Gallery and Studio in Banbridge.
This program, which is funded by the Department for Communities (DfC) and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, builds on an earlier NIMC grant program to develop the sustainability of local museums in Northern Ireland.
We are thrilled to be launching the Climate Tour events, which align with our mission to promote and support the development of local museums in Northern Ireland
NIMC Director, Dr Johnathan Dalzell
“By bringing together the expertise of local museums, the Northern Ireland Science Festival, and a wide range of aligned organisations, we aim to provide a space for important conversations about climate change and its impact, locally and globally.”
The Climate Tour comprises a series of expert-led conversations, involving a range of organisations including the Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute, Alliance Party, Belfast Climate Commission, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, National Trust NI, Queen’s University Belfast, RSPB NI, Ulster Wildlife and the Woodland Trust.
Events are ticketed through the NI Science Festival, but free to attend, and will provide an opportunity for visitors to explore the impacts of climate change on Northern Ireland and its people. The events are chaired by award-winning environmental writer, Mark Lynas.
John McCord, DfC Acting Director of Culture, said: “DfC is pleased to support local museums in connecting communities with important issues such as climate change. DfC recognises that it has an educative and influencing role to play in supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation. Supporting these climate tour events aligns with the Department’s 2021-25 strategic theme of Sustainability and Inclusive Growth and the DfC 2022-23 Climate Change Action plan.”
We are delighted to have the Northern Ireland Museums Council Climate Tour as part of the NI Science Festival. Protecting the planet and looking for new ways of combatting the climate emergency are vitally important to the festival and we welcome this series of climate conversations for audiences across NI.
Sarah Jones, Director of the Northern Ireland Science Festival
The Climate Tour programme
Monday 20th Feb, 6-7:30pm – Linen Hall Library, Belfast
Political / legislative theme
- Mark Lynas (Chair)
- Kate Nicholl (Alliance MLA and Chair of the All-Party Group on Climate Action)
- Dr Amanda Slevin (QUB, Director of Queen’s Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action)
- Debbie Caldwell (Belfast Climate Commissioner)
Tuesday 21st Feb, 7-8:30 pm – Down County Museum, Downpatrick
Biodiversity and ecology theme
- Mark Lynas (Chair)
- Prof Mark Emmerson (QUB, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function research focus)
- Simon Gray (Ulster Wildlife, Peatlands Officer)
- Melina Quinn (National Trust NI, Nature Conservation Advisor)
Wednesday 22nd Feb, 7-8:30 pm – Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Armagh City
Land use and agriculture theme
- Mark Lynas (Chair)
- Dr Peter McEvoy (Ulster Wildlife, Director of Land Use)
- Prof Elizabeth Magowan (AFBI, Director of Sustainable Agriculture Science and Food Division)
- Kevin Duncan (National Trust NI, Land Use and Farming Advisor)
Thursday 23rd – 7-8:30 pm, Spinghill House, Moneymore
Biodiversity and ecology theme
- Mark Lynas (Chair)
- Dr Annika Clements (Ulster Wildlife, Director of Nature, Climate and Environment)
- Iain Greenway (Director, Historic Environment Division)
- Dr Jonathan Bell (RSPB NI, Head of Land and Sea Policy)
Friday 24th – 7-8:30 pm, F.E.McWilliam Gallery and Studio, Banbridge
Future perspectives
- Mark Lynas (Chair)
- Prof John Barry (QUB, Sustainability politics focus / Green political theory)
- Dakota Reid (Conservation Officer, RSPB NI and Keep NI Beautiful 30 under 30 Climate Change Maker)
- Scott Howes (Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, Strategic Lead for Climate Action).