Learning Hub 2023 Watch Back

Recordings from our webinars and recaps of our interactive workshops.

Friends of the Earth’s Learning Hub has drawn to a close. Over 4 online events we explored the issues of energy inequality and the transition away from fossil fuels, as well as how we can collectively tackle them.

Look below for recordings from our webinars and recaps of our interactive workshops.

Energy for Who: Why fighting data centre expansion is crucial for climate action

Our first events in June focused on the need to press pause on data centre expansion. Data centres are massive users of electricity, water, and land, and what they actually do with our personal information is often opaque.

While many promise to use renewables, others rely on on-site fossil fuel generation. Is it possible to transition away from fossil fuels with such a big demand placed on the grid? Do we risk privatising clean energy and locking out the people who need it most? With Dr. Patrick Bresnihan and Dr. Patrick Brodie we investigated who benefits from data centre expansion and the risks it poses for locking us into fossil fuels.

You can watch back the webinar here.

After this, we then participated in a collaborative, creative workshop where we designed postcards to send to Ministers to share our concerns about data centre expansion. You can find these postcards here:

These postcards will soon be available to receive in exchange for a donation here so you can also make sure decision-makers hear your voice!
If you are interested in understanding more about data centres and why they are a climate issue you can look over our information and resource sheets.

Left Out in the Cold: Energy Poverty and Energy Pollution

Our paired events in September focused on the combined social and environmental injustices of energy poverty, the issues with energy inefficiency of residential buildings and the challenges of retrofitting.

A webinar with speakers from the Community Action Tenants’ Union Ireland, Ballyfermot Traveller Action Project, and the Independent Living Movement Ireland. Representatives from these organisations talked about the effect energy poverty has had on them and their communities, how the discourse of energy poverty is utilised to promote regressive pro-fossil fuel policies, what they would change to address the rising cost of living and how they have begun to organise against these inequalities.

You can watch back this webinar here

Lastly, we followed this up with another interactive workshop on how to influence decision makers before Budget 2024. We were joined by Senator Marie Sherlock who gave her personal experience in what she finds impactful. Participants shared how they have been affected by issues with the retrofitting scheme and what things they would like to say to Ministers. We then covered how to write a compelling letter and wrote a first draft.

If you want to take action on energy poverty before Budget 2024 you can participate in this e-action here!

 

You can read more about why energy poverty is a climate issue and how we believe it should be tackled to ensure a just transition with no one left behind by using our resource sheet here and our further reading/watching here.

It is thanks to Irish Aid that we are able to fund this Learning Hub as part of our Global Citizenship Education programme. The views expressed in these events are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of Irish Aid.