Broadcasters Team Up To Tackle Climate Change

Tuesday, 6 June 2023 08:17

23 stations are taking part in the initiative.

Ours to Protect is a unique and exciting audio project - a collaboration of local and regional broadcasters, including Midlands 103, from across the country who have come together to tackle climate change, champion climate action, and inform and educate audiences all over Ireland about how they can make a difference.

Led by the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, 'Ours to Protect' will see 23 local and regional radio stations broadcast over 1,200 new and unique programmes over a year - all devoted to climate change and climate action. Programmes will air from the 5th of June 2023 and run until the end of May 2024.

This unique radio partnership between stations recognises the need for and importance of programmes that explore the reality of climate change for Irish audiences. Local Independent radio stations are a trusted news source in Ireland and know that audiences rely on them to provide transparent, factual and honest reporting. The IBI believe that these programmes will help improve the climate literacy of our audience, create awareness around climate change issues and encourage and enable active engagement in climate action at a local level.

Funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee, this is the largest-ever radio project funded under the Sound & Vision scheme. It represents a great belief in the trusted power of local radio to give accurate and factual information. It follows from previous projects such as the Irish Music Month IBI Hot Press initiative.

Each station will create bespoke programming every week and feature local community, voluntary, NGO and state organisation representatives discussing topics such as the climate impact of Energy, Travel, Food, Waste, the Circular Economy and Biodiversity, to name a few. In addition, local initiatives will be highlighted, and each radio station will explore the contributions being made to tackle climate change in their franchise areas.

This series will also see the creation of a new website for this project. This will house all the audio and resources created by each station and will be updated with further information and radio programmes weekly. It will provide a hub that will grow and develop with the project, a one-stop shop for audiences across the country to listen to and enjoy programming from all 23 stations.

John Purcell, Chair of IBI, says it's a very important project: