Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not need a response, I have my own questions now. That was just a suggestion. Another, which, if it cannot be answered, could be followed up in writing is around production. If the experts before the committee today are involved in content, production may not be their area of expertise. I would like to know about things like the Albert carbon calculator and what efforts there are in terms of increasing the sustainability of RTÉ's production methods. It would be useful to have a note on that.

My questions will be on content, as that seems to be the focus. It was interesting that "Fair City" was mentioned. The issue is not just around the journalistic aspect or empowerment, it also involves things like creative content and artistic perspectives. There has been good art in relation to climate change. When RTÉ is commissioning around drama, documentaries and art, how does climate change weave into commissioning and creative programming? The link with Science Foundation Ireland is good, but I was also glad to see the Irish Research Council and others involved because tackling this issue is not solely going to be about hard science, it is also going to be about social sciences and other forms of expertise. Increasingly, it is about justice narratives. Sometimes there is an unchallenged narrative which, as we have heard from the ESRI, the statistics do not add up on. The rural-urban divide is one such example and an easy trope that does not often stand up, as compared to what is very real, for example, international climate justice. That is a very real story; inequality is another example. How does RTÉ ensure that it does not to fall into simple binaries and also look to where the narratives are? What kinds of frames is RTÉ moving towards? There is a scientific frame, but in terms of social understanding and framings, what comes in? For example, light versus heat; the thrust of my questions is about light versus heat when we look at these issues.

The witness mentioned how beginning to be mainstreamed would affect the climate. How do we mainstream that more? Everything RTÉ is reporting on, whether it is sport or education, is happening within a carbon budget and a limited carbon space. If something is going to cost €100 million-----