In this episode IDE members Sean Owens and Callum Swift are joined by Dr. Clare Watson, a passionate academic and campaigner who has a long history of environmental and social activism. Her background was in social work, since then she has co-authored a book ‘Campaigns, and how to win them’, and written a blog entitled ‘Chasing Hubcaps’ which looks at the influence of human psychology behaviour in peoples reaction to climate change. She completed her PhD at the Marei institute at UCC which looked at the community response to climate change and intersections of behaviour, and she is currently involved with community energy projects in Kerry.

On this episode IDE member Dr Vincent Wall has an engaging and broad reaching conversation with Robert Burns, director of infrastructure, sustainable mobility and climate change at Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.  

In this episode we are delighted to be joined by Isabella Tree, conservationist and author of the award-winning book “Wilding; the return of nature to a British Farm”. The spectacular results of her rewilding experiment on the 3,500 acre Knepp farm offer a window into possible solutions to many of todays most critical problems: carbon sequestration, soil restoration, crop pollination, flood mitigation, water purification, animal welfare and human health. 

We discuss the joy of reconnecting with nature, the challenges many farmers face in the current system, the incredible number of rare species that have surprised conservationists and made Knepp their home, the changing public perception of rewilding, shifting baseline syndrome, the importance of soil health, then benefits of regenerative agriculture, how to rewild on a back garden scale, Isabella's vision for the future and much more!

Welcome to Conversations with Irish Doctors for the Environment, where we talk to inspirational people from all walks of life who share a deep commitment to their communities and the natural world that sustains them. By striving to make a positive change to the world, however small, our guests offer a vision of reclaimed agency and hope that combats cynicism and despair and provides a glimpse of a future that we can look forward to. 

In this episode we talk to some of the founders of Irish Doctors for the Environment about planetary health, the intersection between climate change and health, the benefits of positive action and some of IDE's work so far. For more visit www.IDE.ie