A LOCAL artist is aiming to help tackle the huge increase in student eco-anxiety in universities across the island.
Documentary visual artist Lise McGreevy last showcased her creative climate-action programme, The End Is Nigh, at Féile An Phobail in August.
Lise has also been working with Queen’s University and Ulster University and is now aiming to bring her programme to universities across Ireland.
“As the climate emergency increasingly gains urgency across our country, eco-anxiety is now a formidable force that is striking hundreds of thousands of people at all levels of our society," she explained.
“It is mostly, though, impacting on our young people who have become overwhelmed with the effects of the climate catastrophe due to being inundated night and day by feed from online platforms.
"The ever-worsening global effects climate change is having our national environment.where they can see the impact and destruction first hand.
“I know that eco-anxiety is a major concern for students and university institutions alike but it still surprised me how must this issue has grown within young people. The fear felt by so many is almost palpable."
Lise is a member of the Climate Justice Universities Union, a transboundary and transdisciplinary collective seeking to leverage the transformative potential of higher education institutions to accelerate a just transition and advance climate justice.
“I attended a CJUN conference at Maynooth University last Friday," she added.
"It was amazing to connect face to face with people from universities across Ireland.
"Like me, everyone there believes our higher education institutions have a more significant role to play in tackling our planetary crisis.
“Although stemming from here, anyone can become a member from anywhere in the world.
"Great work is already being done, and cross-university programmes are being shared and implemented. I strongly believe that working alone we are strong, but working together we are invincible.
“Several of the lecturers from the southern universities who attending were interested in my climate action programme. Indeed, over the coming weeks I shall be liaising with them to see if we can partner to bring the programme to the staff and students of these institutions.
“After discussing The End Is Nigh with a lecturer from Barcelona at the conference, there may also potentially be an opportunity of taking the programme to Spain in the future.
“As The End Is Nigh focuses on climate change from an all-island point of view this would create an opportunity for me to promote Ireland’s stunning natural landscape and attractions overseas which would be amazing for me.”
Lise’s programme consists of an exhibition, artist talks, film preview and creative workshops.
“Rather than preaching reform. It focuses on positive activism, directed at sustainability and eco-anxiety," she continued.
“Through this initiative, my aim is to help break down the climate change catastrophe from an overwhelming global stance to a more manageable local angle bite size agenda and to help those who interact with the programme, better understand how climate change will affect them directly.
“I also want to show people how they can take back a little control by creating literature which details what they can do, to help sustain our island and lower their own carbon footprint.
“Our planet needs us all to participate in climate action now. Humans are responsible for the climate catastrophe.
“The film takes an all-island view on the catastrophe. All filming and imagery are shot here, showing the beauty of mother nature and what we will lose if we continue to abuse it.
“With the narration featuring scientific facts and figures from Irish scholars on what we must face ahead if change does not happen, the island is represented as one whole natural environment. Climate change know no borders.”
Anyone wishing to find out more about Lise’s programme, can contact her at LiseMcGreevyPhotographic@gmail.com
