Horizons

Climate change lectures:Climate change is the theme of a series of public lectures in Dublin, organised by the Environmental Protection Agency, which starts on Tuesday. The seven-part series, which will be addressed by international experts, will explore aspects of climate change, from predictions and impacts to economic and political consequences.

The first lecture, on the Science of Climate Change (Alexander Hotel, Merrion Square, Dublin, Tuesday, 6pm), will be given by Dr Martin Manning, director of one of the key working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The second lecture, on how to address climate change, will be given by Dr Bert Metz from the Environmental Assessment Agency in The Netherlands. Admission is free but advanced booking is advised on tel. 01-2898533 or www.epa/ie.

Grow your own grub

Cork Environmental Forum's public meeting on Tuesday at 7.30pm in the Imperial Hotel, Cork will examine how, in a lower carbon future, local food will become increasingly important and how city and county development plans can allocate suitable space for growing and selling local food. The meeting will be chaired by Dr Colin Sage, senior lecturer in geography and environmental studies at University College Cork and will include contributions from heritage officers and those who have worked on local action biodiversity plans. A representative from Sustain West Cork will also outline plans for the new Bantry Allotment Scheme. For more details, see www.cef.ie or tel. 021-4340348.

Pavement art

Ireland holds the most significant proportion of limestone pavement within the EU. The Burren in particular is famed for its limestone pavement and the rare species it supports. And, while much of it is designated as Special Areas of Conservation and Natural Heritage Areas, more than 4,000 hectares are at risk of destruction and removal. A new exhibition, Our Limestone Landscapes, which opened this week, highlights the vulnerable beauty of this landscape. The exhibition of photographs and information panels was organised by the Irish Wildlife Trust in co-operation with the UK Limestone Habitat Pavement Action Plan Group. Our Limestone Landscapes continues in Enfo, 17 St Andrew Street, Dublin, until December 14th. Admission is free. Opening hours Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm. Workshops for primary school children will be held throughout the exhibition. For more details, tel. 01-8882001 or see www.enfo.ie.

Evolution revolution

A reappraisal of archaeological evidence in the last decade has changed the picture of human evolution, according to an expert on early human societies. On Thursday, Prof Clive Gamble of the department of geography, University of London, will discuss when traits such as language, art and music appeared. His public lecture takes place at 7.30pm in the Thomas Davis Theatre, Trinity College Dublin. For more details, tel. 01-6761749.

EcoWeb

www.ipcc.ch

Check out latest updates from the influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC has been meeting in Valencia, Spain this week to prepare its final report in advance of the international talks on Climate Change in Bali next month.