Emeritus Professor John Sweeney, Ireland’s leading climate scientist, to speak at next Eco-Congregation Ireland event ~ Letterkenny, 13th February

Ireland’s leading climate scientist, Emeritus Prof John Sweeney of NUI Maynooth, will be keynote speaker at Eco-Congregation Ireland’s next event, which will take place in the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny on 13th February 2015 at 7.30pm.

All are welcome to this event, which we will be co-hosting with the Raphoe Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Group.

Prof Sweeney is currently leading a research programme into the impacts of climate change in Ireland and into the production of climate scenarios for Ireland for mid and end century. As one of the contributing authors and a review editor of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), John shared with several hundred other climatologists the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

“Time is running out for taking decisive action to avoid dangerous climate change,” says Prof Sweeney. “In Ireland political paralysis and vested interests are preventing us from meeting our agreed international obligations. As individuals and a society our ethical responsibilities demand we take seriously what is generally agreed to be the major problem of the 21st century. As preparations continue for what will be a crucial UN meeting in Paris in December, it is clear that a radical change in our approach is required if we are not to condemn the next generation to a seriously damaged planet.”

Following Prof Sweeney’s talk, members of two eco-congregations will give short presentations about the steps they have taken to ‘green’ their churches.

We will be asking for a suggested donation of €10 to cover costs

If you live in the North-West, please help us spread the word by downloading our publicity materials – Letterkenny poster and Letterkenny flyer – and displaying them in your church, school, library or community centre. Thanks!

The centre is 40 minutes from Derry and less than an hour from Omagh.

For directions to the Regional Cultural Centre, or to read a summary of Prof Sweeney’s talk at ECI’s last event, which was held in Cork in November 2014, or for more information, go to:  ecocongregationireland.com/archives/4998