Episode 02

Item 1
Community & Lifestyle
Flooding – Case Study the Tolka River
Flooding, on a national level, has become a serious problem in Ireland. Extreme weather caused by climate change is causing more floods, more often, and not just in rural areas. From the inundation of Ringsend by coastal water in 2000, to flash floods on the river Dodder after heavy rain, the residents of Dublin have seen their fair share too.
We talk to some of the residents who have experienced first hand the damage and destruction that floods can do and look at some of the plans that are being put in place to guard against this happening in the future.

Item 2
Environment & Health
Food
In an age of massive consumer choice, we examine the price we pay for convenience: from the chemical additives behind ‘fresher-looking’ produce to the false economy and dietary compromise of overly processed food.
To try and get a clearer idea of what we buy into, we go shopping for an average weekly family shop and take a look at the results.

Item 3
Heritage
Community Conservation Plan – Bere Island
We visit Bere Island in Cork and look at the Conservation Plan they have in place, which is the first of its kind in Ireland. The project is concerned with sustaining and developing all of the islands resources and shows how a community can work together towards securing a sustainable future.
Bere Island combines a wealth of natural and man made heritage, which is well documented in a landscape dotted with ancient architecture – from Neolithic tombs and standing stones to Viking promontory forts. What sets this island apart is the fact that – by helping to preserve and develop that same heritage – the community is securing not only its own future, but that of generations of islanders to come.

Item 4
The Big Picture
Oil & Fossil Fuels
As the single most fossil-fuel dependent country in Europe, Ireland is extremely vulnerable to any disruption in supply. We import 90% of our fuel from abroad at a cost of €2 billion a year: coal from Poland; gas from Siberia, oil from the North Sea. As the oil we depend on becomes scarcer and more greedily fought over, the threat of disruption is ever-present.
The economy isn’t the only thing under threat. Our huge fossil fuel burn makes us one of the EU’s worst per capita contributors to climate change. If this continues, and we fail to meet our Kyoto emissions target between 2008 and 2012, the government may have to spend millions of euro on carbon credits.
We look at ways we can all make a difference on both a personal level and on a national level, from turning off a light to exploiting Ireland’s natural advantage for renewable energy.