Professor Laurence Gill, a Professor of Environmental Engineering at Trinity College Dublin's School of Engineering, recently participated in a panel discussion at the Electric Picnic festival. The event, hosted by Hot Press in their Chat Room series, was titled "Why we must not fail on climate targets" and took place on Saturday, August 30, 2025.
The panel, moderated by Stuart Clark, Deputy Editor of Hot Press, also included musician David Keenan, sustainability broadcaster Shannen Healy, and Stephen Walsh of Re-turn. Professor Gill initiated the discussion by outlining current global and Irish climate trends, emphasising the urgency of the situation and introducing various scientific and technological solutions aimed at meeting climate goals. His own research focuses on the behaviour of air and water pollutants and the development of passive treatment processes. A notable aspect of his current work involves the restoration of former raised bogs in the Midlands to improve their carbon sequestration and biodiversity capabilities. Before his tenure at Trinity, he worked in the UK water industry, specialising in the design of water and wastewater treatment systems.
The other panellists also contributed significant insights. Shannen Healy discussed Project Dandelion, a women-led campaign focused on climate justice, while Stephen Walsh highlighted the strong early success of Re-turn, Ireland's national Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles and aluminium cans. He mentioned that the scheme is already seeing high participation and that new multi-bottle machines are being installed to shorten waiting times for returns. The conversation was interspersed with live music performances by David Keenan, who used his work to reflect on the emotional and cultural aspects of climate action and how creatives can contribute to education and change.
Read the full article by clicking here