Alicia: ‘Taoiseach must listen to my generation’

SKIBBEREEN climate activist and UCC student Alicia O’Sullivan met with members of the cabinet when they visited the university earlier this week.

Alicia (20), a second-year law student, represented Ireland at the first UN youth climate summit in New York in 2019 and is a delegate to the upcoming United Nations (UN) Climate Change conference (COP26) which commences on October 31st.

UCC, as the only Irish university with representative status at COP26, will have a delegation in attendance in Glasgow.

Alicia said: ‘It is vital that those in positions of power are listening to the voice of our generation, who will be most impacted by climate change. It is even more crucial that they are taking major steps to combat climate change whilst supporting the people through a just transition.’

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, and Minister Eamon Ryan were greeted upon arrival in the quad by UCC president Prof John O’Halloran who escorted them to the president’s office for the signing of the visitor’s book and the presentation of a gift of UCC Alma Nectar honey, which is produced at the UCC apiary on campus.

This is only the second time that a government cabinet has convened at University College Cork, with the first meeting held in 2017.