The Circus continues…

 

The “Circus of Climate Horrors” is Ireland’s newest Climate Change outreach project. Our unique experience of fun games also provides a chance to chat with real climate scientists. Built and run by researchers at the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units (ICARUS) Institute within the Geography Department, the Circus engages audiences with relevant, contemporary issues surrounding rising greenhouse gases, sustainability, and future climate action through a series of interactive games and activities for all ages. Within weeks of debuting at Glastonbury in June 2023 (which was a resounding success!) the Circus had invitations from Science Foundation Ireland to attend the Mind Fields area at Electric Picnic 2023, and the International Geographical Conference in 2024.

 

To ensure the longevity of the Circus and to give postgraduate students hands on experience of participating in climate outreach, we ran a workshop for the Climate Change Masters class and PhD students from ICARUS. The students then expertly ran the exhibit during Research Week 2023. The ‘Great Wall of Atmospheres’, proved to be a particular draw with many returning to either get on the leader board, or trying to beat their previous time! On a more serious note, by highlighting some of the impacts of climate change, the circus provided our postgraduate students with an opportunity to engage with hundreds of Maynooth University students and staff over the busy four day period. Many of whom might rarely get to talk about climate change with scientists. It was fascinating to hear their understanding and awareness about these important issues. These insights were highlighted by their written contributions to our climate wishes/pledges board which contains hundreds of inspiring individual and collective actions to deal with climate change.

Circus of Climate horrors at Research week in Maynooth University

The circus is taking a break for the rest of the year so we can update the stall… keep an eye out on socials @climate_circus , Circus for Climate Horrors for new and innovative designs coming soon!

 

ICARUS scientist represents the Organization of African Academic Doctors at UN Ocean Decade meeting in China

Dr Emmanuel Eresanya is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Irish Climate Analysis and Research UnitS (ICARUS), Department of Geography, Maynooth University. Emmanuel is also the Project lead in the Climate Research Group (CRG) of the Organization of African Academic Doctors (OAAD) . Recently, as the Project Lead of OAAD CRG, Emmanuel was selected as a Co-PI in the Ocean to Climate Seamless Forecasting in Africa (OSFiA)  a UN Decade Collaborative Centre on Ocean Climate Nexus and Coordination among Decade implementing Partners in P. R of China (DCC-OCC), hosted by the First Institute of Oceanography, Qingdao, China. He attended the 1st General Assembly of the Ocean to Climate Seamless Forecasting System (OSF) Programme that was held on 27-28th, September 2023 in Qingdao, China. 

Emmanuel was among the 300 Researchers from 100 UN Institutions chosen from 30 Countries across the globe present at Steigenberger Hotel Qingdao for the Ocean to Climate Seamless Forecasting System (OSF) Programme. As a Co-PI, he will be working with others to deploy and monitor the OSF's new technologically driven buoy to archive Ocean data across the Gulf of Guinea and the Mediterranean Sea in the next 10 years.

Emmanuel was also featured in the  Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) plenary meeting during the general assembly where he joined other early career Ocean Professionals in a discussion about the safety of the Ocean and bridging the gap between Ocean data and the end users.

 

Irish climate scientists from Maynooth University present the ‘Circus of Climate Horrors’ at Glastonbury!

 

This year a group of climate scientists from ICARUS, Maynooth University were thrilled to present a new climate change outreach stall in the Science Futures field at Glastonbury Festival of Music and Performing Arts, becoming the first Irish University to exhibit at the event! The aim of Science Futures is to bring the ‘science behind the headlines’ to almost 250,000 festival goers. Our brand new climate change outreach stall, called the ‘Circus of Climate Horrors’ highlights some of the impacts of climate change, including the increased likelihood of enhanced precipitation, sea-level rise and flooding events within a warming world, and provided us with an opportunity to engage with hundreds of people over the busy five day festival.

After months of preparation, planning and building we arrived at the festival, and set up our striking ‘Circus of Climate Horrors’ tent, decked out in the climate stripes, in anticipation of people arriving. Our interactive exhibits included the ‘Wheel of Global Warming’ aimed at informing people about different climate change scenarios, the ‘Great Wall of Atmospheres’, an interactive and competitive ball game that demonstrates how increased CO₂ creates a warmer world, and a flood map of the UK and Ireland under a 2°C warming scenario. People absolutely loved the Climate Circus! Children and adults alike enjoyed the interactive games while learning about climate science, which gave festival-goers the chance to engage with concepts they may not have thought about before. It was a huge success!

Glastonbury attracts an incredibly varied demographic (background, age, lifestyle, location (UK and international), career level and sector), which provided a unique opportunity for us to chat and engage with numerous, diverse audiences, many of whom might rarely get to talk about climate change research with scientists. It was fascinating to hear their insights and thoughts too. This diversity and insight was highlighted by their written contributions to our climate wishes/pledges board which contains hundreds of inspiring individual and collective actions to deal with climate change. We plan in the future to present the Circus of Climate Horrors at more events that provide opportunities for effective and meaningful engagement with a broad group of people about the importance of climate change and its impact!