Earth Matters covers climate action and environmental campaigning across Northern Ireland. Hosts Lynda Sullivan, Niall Bakewell and Tommy Greene interview activists, experts and community organisers about the issues driving the ecological movement.
Episodes span the Youth Strike 4 Climate and Extinction Rebellion protests of 2019, Jonathon Porritt’s keynote on the climate crisis, and youth activist Anna Kernahan reflecting on how the pandemic affected Fridays for Future. The series explores practical responses too: sustainable food cities, waste reduction with the Belfast Repair Cafe, and a conference on tackling waste through community creativity. International perspectives come from Emma R. Mincks connecting Native American and Irish environmental groups, and Zambian musician‑activist Fumba ‘Pilato’ Chama. Local threats are examined in an episode on Lough Neagh and extractive industries, while wellbeing therapist Aisling Cowan discusses the Active Hope model for supporting campaigners’ emotional health. Most recently, a 2024 episode tackles fossil fuel divestment and corporate greenwashing. Running from March 2019 to March 2024, it’s a record of how Northern Irish communities are responding to planetary emergency.