I am an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. I am particularly interested in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions. I enjoy reading scientific papers on those subjects as much as being outdoors weathering the elements and getting first-hand experiences.
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2025 Kicks Off: Kerry's Community Climate Programme + American Temperate Rainforest
Published 5 months ago • 4 min read
Conservation and Science
Happy New Year!
Welcome back after my year's end hibernation. It wasn't planned and happened organically. So, I hope you didn't miss me much and that you had a nice Christmas and New Year, or if you're one of those who worked through the period, power to you!
In this issue of the newsletter I have two podcast episodes for you and an announcement. First is an episode published today, which kicks off a series of episodes I'm going to be producing over the next two years in collaboration with Transition Kerry, following the Community Climate Adaptation Programme. You'll find more details in the dedicated section below and all I can tell you is that I'm excited (I'm not using this often-overused word lightly) for this programme as I like action and moving beyond just words and slogans.
Second is the episode published in the last year. It's about the Great North American Temperate Rainforest. I sat down for a chat with Paul Koberstein, one of the authors of the book titled 'Canopy of Titans – The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest'. Unfortunately, the overall picture isn't pretty as this unique ecosystem is being destroyed and the very activities that destroy it, namely logging, are labelled, or greenwashed, as a climate solution. Listen to the show and buy the book!
Finally, an announcement. In the coming days, I'll send an off-cycle newsletter announcing some changes to the newsletter itself, its content and the content of my channels. As you might expect, it's not going to be a revolution but an evolution. Last year was very successful for the podcast and this year we'll be celebrating the 10-year milestone since the podcast went online. I'm encouraged to do some experimentation with new types of content and I feel like giving you a heads-up and, as always, giving you the opportunity to give me your feedback.
Community Climate Adaptation Programme
How do rural communities prepare for climate change when global commitment seems to be wavering? What does real climate adaptation look like on the ground? Can local knowledge be as valuable as academic expertise when it comes to building resilient communities? These are the questions we tackle in this special episode, which launches a new series following a two-year Community Climate Adaptation Training and Mentoring Programme in Kerry.
Today I'm joined by six guests. John Loughrey from NEWKD explains how the LEADER programme evolved from having one small climate sub-theme to making it a major focus. Micheál Ó Cóileáin, Mary Kiernan, Thomas O'Connor, Niamh Ní Dhúill and Catríona Fallon from Transition Kerry share their experiences working on these issues since 2007. Together, NEWKD and Transition Kerry developed an ambitious programme to work with local communities across Co. Kerry. Our conversation covers everything from the practical details of the programme to the philosophy behind it, including wisdom about using your head, heart and hands to create the future you want.
This is the first episode in a series where we'll be following the programme over the next two years. We'll be speaking with participants and community leaders as they work through the various phases of capacity building, from initial meetings through to implementing climate adaptation projects in their own communities.
What if the world's most powerful climate solution is being logged away while politicians and industry groups feed us misinformation? How can an ecosystem store three times more carbon per acre than the Amazon rainforest? Why has the international science community remained largely silent about the destruction of temperate rainforests? Our conversation with Paul Koberstein, co-author of "Canopy of Titans - The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest" tackles these urgent questions head-on. The Great North American temperate rainforest stretches 2,500 miles from northern California to Alaska, making it the largest intact temperate rainforest on Earth. Yet this carbon-dense ecosystem faces ongoing threats from industrial logging, greenwashing campaigns, and policy decisions that prioritise short-term profits over long-term climate stability.
Paul shares his journey from camping beneath old-growth Douglas firs as a child to becoming an investigative environmental journalist covering forest issues for over 40 years. Our conversation examines the troubling parallels between the timber industry's tactics and those employed by fossil fuel and tobacco companies. We discuss how scientists like Dr Beverly Law faced persecution for publishing research on how forests benefit the climate. Paul explains the "global blind spot" that has allowed temperate rainforest logging to continue largely unchallenged, even as the international community rallies to protect tropical rainforests. The book reveals how industry-funded research has shaped policy debates and obscured the true climate impact of logging these ancient forests.
Despite the sobering realities, Paul offers hope through examples of successful grassroots activism. When thousands of people raised their voices against Drax's expansion into California, the project was cancelled. Our conversation also touches on the dramatic shift in US climate policy under different administrations and what this means for forest protection efforts globally. Paul's advice is clear: to save a forest, you must work at it every day, but to destroy it, you only need to do it once. This episode is essential listening for anyone who cares about climate action, forest conservation, and cutting through corporate greenwashing.
I am an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. I am particularly interested in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions. I enjoy reading scientific papers on those subjects as much as being outdoors weathering the elements and getting first-hand experiences.
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