1) Hanover Communications
Title:Half of surveyed Young Scientists are worried about climate change, but more than 90% are confident that science is the solution
Author: Claire Regan
Email delivery rate: 99%
Time of release: 08:00 on the 16th of January
Coverage examples:
Half of surveyed Young Scientists are worried about climate change, but more than 90% are confident that science is the solution
52% of students who responded to a survey carried out at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2023 are worried or sad about climate change, while 8% say it makes them angry. More than 500 students took part in the survey by BT Ireland and Global Action Plan, which found that concern for the consequences of global warming is widespread among the next generation of Irish scientists and technologists.
However, despite their alarm, it appears Ireland’s ‘Young Scientists’ remain optimistic with a massive 91% saying they believe that science and technology can help with solving the climate crisis. 72% say that they’ve personally taken action in the past six months to help tackle the crisis, while more than 71% say that their scientific knowledge makes them more confident about the issue of climate change.
Speaking about the findings of the survey, Priscilla O’Regan, Head of Communications at BT Ireland said: “It’s vital that young people’s voices are heard when it comes to one of most pressing issues facing the world. We’ve seen from the students’ projects at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition that climate change and environmental issues are top of mind for many students. This survey by BT Ireland and Global Action Plan indicates that many young people are worried and feel powerless in the face of global warming.”
“However, it is heartening that our young scientists are optimistic that the fruits of human ingenuity will help provide answers, either in the form of new technologies or new insights into behavioural and societal change.”
The eight-question survey was sent to more than 1,100 finalists in the 2023 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, and 515 students took part. The youngest respondents were 11 and the eldest 18 years old, with almost two-thirds of respondents identifying as female and one-third identifying as male.
Hans Zomer, CEO of Global Action Plan, the environmental organisation that partnered with BT Ireland on the survey, commented, “One of the striking features of the survey results is that young people are determined to find solutions to the climate crisis. While many have negative feelings about the situation, the vast majority of respondents are optimistic that we can find solutions to the climate crisis and are already taking actions in their own lives.”
“When asked what they are doing to help fight climate change, young people listed actions they have influence on, such as reducing waste and walking/cycling to school, and actions where they use their voice and influence, such as asking the adults in their lives to reduce energy consumption. What this shows is that young people are aware that their actions count, and that they want to contribute to the solutions”.
The survey results:
1. Anger, hopelessness but also determination
In their responses, a high proportion of the 515 of the 1,100 contestants in the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition at the RDS indicated that they feel sad and angry about climate change: 52% said they felt sad or worried, 8% said climate change made them angry, 5% indicated they felt “ignored” and a further 5% experienced a sense of hopelessness. Importantly, 16% of respondents said that global warming made them more “determined” to take action.
Girls were more “sad or worried” than boys, with 59% of girls in this category, versus 38% of boys. Girls were also more likely than boys to feel “ignored” (14% versus 7%), and less likely to feel “determined” (14% versus 21%).
The feeling of sadness and worry did not differ greatly with age. However, 13-year-olds and 18-year-olds were much more likely to feel “ignored” than the other respondents, with 13% of 13-year-olds and 17% of 18-year-olds choosing this answer.
2. Climate change is very serious
Respondents to the BT Ireland/Global Action Plan survey among BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition participants said that climate change is a very serious issue. Asked to rate seriousness of the issue on a scale from 1 to 10, students ranked it 8.75 on average.
45% of respondents gave the issue a maximum ‘seriousness’ score of 10, and 22% rated it at 9 out of 10.
Particularly girls found climate change very serious, with 52% of girls giving the issue a maximum 10 out of 10 on the scale. In contrast, only 30% of boys ranked climate change as the most serious.
3. A strong belief in the power of science
Unsurprisingly for participants in a science exhibition, respondents were very confident that science can help solve climate change: 91% of respondents said Yes to the question ‘Do you think we can help to solve the climate crisis using science and technology?’
When asked follow-up questions, many explained that they felt behavioural and social sciences were part of the solution, too.
71% of the respondents said that their knowledge of science makes them ‘more confident about the climate crisis’.
4. Students are not confident in their ability to affect global warming.
When asked ‘who is the most responsible for tackling climate change?’, students listed the Government, the EU and the business world as the main actors.
Yet, 40% of the respondents listed “Me Personally” or “Everyone Needs To Do Their Bit” as the most important answer to this question.
5. Students are taking action.
72% of respondents said that they had personally taken action in the past six months to help fight climate change. Among the actions undertaken by students were reducing waste and increasing recycling (67%), cutting down on use of plastics (52%), walking or cycling to school instead of getting a lift in the car (26%). Twenty-three percent of surveyed students also consider the carbon footprint of the food they buy, and have changed their eating habits.
The survey results also show that students are encouraging their parents to take positive action, including asking parents to install solar panels (20%), asking parents to insulate homes (20%), and asking parents to switch energy supplier (10%).
6. Important to focus on climate change and environment in schools
When asked if they think that it is important for climate change and environmental issues to be a focus area in the Irish school system, 91% of students said it was important, while 5% said it wasn’t.
[ENDS]
Detailed survey results can be found below. If you have any further queries, require information, or would like to coordinate any interviews, please don’t hesitate to contact the following:
Hanover Communications for BTYSTE: btyste@hanovercomms.com
Claire Regan: cregan@hanovercomms.com / 086 2093536
Arlen Noonan: anoonan@hanovercomms.com / +353 1 582 5189
Heather Bruton: hbruton@hanovercomms.com / 083 459 8173
About Global Action Plan Ireland
Global Action Plan Ireland is an environmental organisation supporting sustainable communities across Ireland. Based in Ballymun, Global Action Plan aims to inspire people to become ‘change makers’ by equipping individuals and communities with knowledge and skills to develop solutions to the environmental and climate crises.
For more information, see www.globalactionplan.ie
About BT
BT Group is the UK’s leading provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications and related secure digital products, solutions and services. We also provide managed telecommunications, security and network and IT infrastructure services to customers across 180 countries.
BT Group consists of three customer-facing units: Consumer serves individuals and families in the UK; BT Business* covers companies and public services in the UK and internationally; Openreach is an independently governed, wholly owned subsidiary wholesaling fixed access infrastructure services to its customers - over 650 communication providers across the UK.
British Telecommunications plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
For more information, visit www.bt.com/about.
*BT Business was formed on 1 January 2023 from the combination of the former Enterprise and Global units. It will commence reporting as a single unit from 1 April 2023, with pro forma reporting information to be produced ahead of BT Group’s Q1 FY24 results.
Pictured at the call for entries for BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2023 is Darcy MacGillivray.
2) DAA plc
Title:Media Release: daa Announces Record January at Dublin Airport
Author: Graeme McQueen
Email delivery rate: 97%
Time of release: 06:30 on the 8th of February
Coverage examples:
Media Release
daa Announces Record January at Dublin Airport
+ daa's Airports at Dublin and Cork Served 2.27 Million Passengers in January
Dublin, Wednesday, February 8: Dublin Airport enjoyed its busiest January ever with just over 2.1 million passengers travelling through during the opening month of the year, according to the airport's operator daa.
The number of passengers travelling through Dublin Airport in January was 2% higher than in January 2019 - the previous record January - and more than double (113%) the numbers seen in January 2022.
The early part of January saw some very busy days at Dublin Airport as thousands of people travelled home after the Christmas break. Nevertheless, security screening moved smoothly throughout January with 95.7% of passengers passing through in less than 20 minutes and virtually all through in under 30 minutes.
At Cork Airport, the other Irish airport operated by daa, the number of passengers in January totalled 162,000, which was 149% higher than January 2022 and 12% higher than January 2019. Passenger numbers at Cork Airport in 2023 are forecast to increase by almost 10% to around 2.4 million.
Overall, the total number of passengers carried by daa’s two Irish operated airports during January this year was 2.27 million, up from 2.15 million in January 2019 and 956,000 in January 2022.
Reacting to the January performance at daa's Irish airports, daa CEO Kenny Jacobs said: "January saw monthly passengers at Dublin Airport surpass pre-pandemic levels for the very first time. The volume of people travelling through both Dublin and Cork airports during January shows the continued strong appetite that exists for overseas travel post-Covid. The addition of an extra Bank Holiday weekend in February, combined with Valentine's Day and the mid-term school break, means February will be another very busy month at both airports.“
“The busiest day at Cork Airport during the month was Tuesday, January 3 with 6,900 passengers travelling through, while the busiest day at Dublin Airport was Monday, January 2 with 88,900 passengers. The most popular destination from both Dublin and Cork airports was London Heathrow. In total, 78% of flights from Cork Airport departed on time in January, while 76% were on time leaving Dublin Airport.”
“We are expecting and planning for another busy year at Dublin Airport and the main focus is on improving security queue times and our standards in both terminals, but especially Terminal 1. Moving through the terminals is already easier and more enjoyable for passengers following a recent de-cluttering. We have listened to feedback from passengers and have ear-marked a number of areas for additional seating. A big emphasis is also being placed on improving basic services such as toilets and general cleanliness. Work to further improve the Dublin Airport experience will accelerate over the coming weeks and months," added Mr Jacobs.
January 2023 in Numbers at daa’s Irish Airports
Cork Airport
Dublin Airport
Number of Passengers
161,000
Number of Passengers
2,116, 431
Number of Flights
1,267
Number of Flights
16,976
Through Security in <20 mins
97.7%
Through Security in <20 mins
95.7%
Busiest Day for Travel
January 3 (6,900 passengers)
Busiest Day for Travel
January 2 (88,900 passengers)
Busiest Destination
London Heathrow
Busiest Destination
London Heathrow
Flights Departing On-Time
78%
Flights Departing On-Time
76%
ENDs
Graeme McQueen
Media Relations Manager, daa
M: +353 87 383 2786
E: graeme.mcqueen@daa.ie
Kevin Cullinane
Group Head of Communications, daa
M: +353 86 244 0195
E: kevin.cullinane@daa.ie
3) European Movement Ireland
Title:Calling all Third Level Students in Cork! Taoiseach and President of the European Parliament launch final phase of the MyEU50: The Ireland EU50 Youth Competition
Author: Cathy Gray
Email delivery rate: 94%
Time of release: 15:56 on the 3rd of February
Coverage examples:
Calling all Third Level Students in Cork! Taoiseach and President of the European Parliament launch final phase of the MyEU50: The Ireland EU50 Youth Competition
European Youth Parliament member from Cork - Joshua Fitzgerald (21, Crosshaven) at launch
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola have launched the final phase of a major youth competition celebrating 50 years of Ireland’s membership in the EU.
Students from Third Level Institutions are being invited to enter the competition on the subject of the EU’s core values - human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, human rights.
The winner will be awarded €2,000 and entries can be in the form of a podcast, newspaper column / opinion piece, speech, or a poster.
Marking the launch, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola met some students from across Third Level institutions in Ireland in the Long Room of the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin.
The Taoiseach said:
“I am delighted to launch the MyEU50 Youth Competition for students in third level institutions. The founding values of the European Union included respect for personal dignity; freedom; democracy; equality; the rule of law and human rights.
“As we mark 50 years of Ireland’s membership of the EU through the Government’s EU50 programme and as we face the challenges ahead, we need to draw strength and guidance from those values.
“Through the MyEU50 competition, students will be given the unique opportunity to reflect on the enormous progress made by the EU over the past 50 years, and explore how Ireland can best contribute to the Union over the next 50 years.”
The President of the European Parliament said:
"The MyEU50 competition is a wonderful initiative. Ireland's 50-year membership of the European Union is a success story. It is important that young people from across Ireland be aware of the benefits of EU membership, so that they can avail of the opportunities and rights that the EU brings. Our union is a union of values of freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law."
European Movement Ireland CEO Noelle O’Connell said:
“The MyEU50 youth competition gives students the opportunity to explore their relationship with the EU. Young people are often described in the clichéd term as ‘future leaders’. I believe they are already the leaders of today.
“Young people deserve to have their voices heard and this competition allows them to do just that. We are delighted to be working with the Government to roll this competition across the country.”
ENDS
Notes
Overview of competition
MyEU50 is a competition across all three levels of education in Ireland, Primary schools, Post-Primary schools, and Third Level Institutions, hosted and managed by European Movement Ireland in partnership with the Government of Ireland. As Ireland celebrates 50 years of Ireland’s membership of the EU throughout 2022 and 2023, MyEU50 is an opportunity to reemphasise the role the EU plays in the lives of European citizens, the cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe, and the career opportunities the EU can also provide.
The third level entries for the competition will focus on at least one EU core value, human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, human rights and demonstrate their relevance in today’s Ireland. Any student attending a third level or higher and further education institution in Ireland can enter.
Students can enter the competition using one of the following formats:
· Podcasts can include debates, discussion, comedy or drama related to EU values.
· Newspaper Column / Op-Ed pieces should make a specific argument related to EU values. This can be related to current events or a lesser-known topic and should be written in a similar style to a national or local newspaper.
· Speeches can be written on a specific topic or broader theme related to EU values. Students should provide the context of the speech, including who the person making the speech might be and the intended audience.
· Posters can be designed for any purpose related to EU values, eg a call to action, public information, public art etc. All poster design styles will be accepted.
All entry types will be assessed on their creativity, representation of European values and research.
The deadline for submissions is Friday 31st March and the winner will be announced at a ceremony in April, with €2,000 up for grabs for the winning entry.
MyEU50 launched in September 2020. Submissions were received from 5,000 students across both primary and post-primary level during the first phase of the competition. The winners of the primary and post-primary level competition were announced at an awards ceremony in December 2022.
· Primary Level winners – Balbriggan ETNS, Co Dublin.
· Post – Primary Level winners - Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nuad (Maynooth), Co. Kildare.
For the competition website, please visit MyEU50: Ireland EU50 Youth Competition (europeanmovement.ie)
For more on the EU50 programme, please visit www.ireland.ie/eu50
Contact Details: cathy@europeanmovement.ie (083) 026 2613
4) Office of Public Works
Title:PRESS RELEASE: Vandalism at the Hill of Tara condemned (by Ministers)
Author: Barry Nangle
Email delivery rate: 99%
Time of release: 14:02 on the 10th of February
Coverage examples:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10 February 2023
Vandalism at the Hill of Tara condemned (by Ministers)
The Office of Public Works (OPW) and the National Monuments Service (NMS) in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are deeply dismayed by the act of vandalism perpetrated on the Lia Fáil on the Hill of Tara. The placement of graffiti on the standing stone is the latest in a series of acts of vandalism at this national monument, which is accessible all year round to the public. The vandalism has been condemned by Ministers Patrick O’Donovan and Malcolm Noonan.
Patrick O’Donovan, TD, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, said:
“This is an appalling and reprehensible act of wanton disregard for our national heritage. Acts of this nature are on the increase which is of concern. For over 5,500 years, Tara has been an important ceremonial site embedded in Ireland’s history, most prominently as the seat of the High Kings of Ireland which continues to attract numerous visitors each year. I can assure the local community and the wider public that action is already being taken in conjunction with the National Monuments Service to ensure the stone is cleaned and returned to a proper state.”
After an inspection of the monument by OPW and NMS, it was agreed to apply low-impact cleaning methods (warm water and steam cleaning) to the stone. While the cleaning effort has been successful in removing most of the paint, there is still faded traces of blue. OPW will continue to assess the condition of the stone before considering any additional appropriate cleaning methods taking into account the need to protect the national monument.
Condemning these mindless acts of vandalism, Malcolm Noonan TD, Minister of State for Heritage at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage added:
“I deplore such baseless vandalism of this National Monument, a monument that is treasured by so many. At the heart of the recently published Conservation Management Plan for Tara are a series of objectives and actions aimed at protecting the Hill of Tara, and we will be resolute alongside our OPW colleagues in ensuring that is the case, and that our wonderful heritage may remain protected and open to the people, the vast majority of whom cherish it and will join with us in being shocked at this act. My National Monuments Service and OPW are working with An Garda Síochána to investigate this senseless act. “
A joint campaign launched 2 years ago by OPW and NMS aims to highlight the vulnerability of Ireland’s archaeological heritage and how the public may assist in its protection. This Protect our Past social media campaign will be rolled out again in coming days to time with the usual steady increase in visitor numbers as the days lengthen.
END
For further information, please contact pressoffice@opw.ie
Follow us on Twitter @opwireland
Follow us on Facebook @opwireland
Follow us on Instagram @opwireland
Follow us on LinkedIn @Office of Public Works
Notes for Editors/Further Information
The Hill of Tara is one of Ireland’s most important archaeological and cultural landscapes, and it is of international significance. The archaeological complex within the State-owned land encompasses 61 known monuments recorded by the Archaeological Survey of Ireland, dating to the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and the medieval period. During its long history it was used as a burial place, a religious complex, a venue for ceremonies associated with an exalted kingship, and was an arena for battles. The archaeology of the Hill of Tara has remained relatively undisturbed and research points to the existence of significant archaeology yet to be fully understood and interpreted.
Historical sources indicate that Tara was at the centre of the most important kingship in Ireland from at least the sixth century AD. The title ‘King of Tara’ was claimed by rulers from all parts of the island though, from the eleventh century onwards, the ‘King of Ireland’ title gradually replaced ‘King of Tara’.
Tara is a special place, arising from its continued use over time for gathering and ceremonial occasions, and holds great value for many, including the local community. Its primary attraction relates to its archaeological and historical significance, which draws visitors from around the world. The hill’s wide panoramic views, its ecology and accessible grasslands are additional attractions.
The Hill of Tara is included on Ireland’s 2022 World Heritage Tentative List, as one component of the Royal Sites of Ireland, a serial transboundary site that also includes Dún Ailinne, Co. Kildare; the Hill of Uisneach, Co. Westmeath; the Rock of Cashel, Co. Tipperary; Rathcroghan, Co. Roscommon and Emain Macha, Co. Armagh.
Link to Conservation Management Plan for the Hill of Tara HERE
About MediaHQ
Designed for PR and Communications teams, MediaHQ is the all-in-one media contacts database and press release distribution software with the mission to connect your story with your audience.
It was founded by entrepreneur Jack Murray in 2009. Our cutting-edge software is the best, fastest and most accurate way to find the right journalists, build media and pitch lists in seconds, send press releases and get results.
The comprehensive MediaHQ database lists the details of over 60,000 journalists and media outlets across Ireland and the UK and is full of time-saving features.
