What is #26miles26years all about?
Irish Doctors for the Environment and the Irish Climate and Health Alliance are collaborating to run the 2024 Dingle marathon. Why? In 2019 Ireland became the second country in the world to declare a climate emergency, has since made legally binding obligations to become Net Zero by 2050 and has published plans on how to get there.
The problem is we aren’t doing nearly enough quickly enough.
Healthcare organizations are increasingly asking for action on Net Zero i.e., clean energy, sustainable food production, active travel etc. Why? Climate and biodiversity loss represents the greatest threat to health in the 21st century. This also means that addressing Net Zero issues represents a generational opportunity for health;
- Active travel is a can’t miss opportunity for mental and physical wellbeing, a way of engineering “the magic pill” exercise into our daily lives. This at a time when our collective national health has never been more challenging.
- Sustainable diets would address the number one driver of chronic disease in Ireland, while reducing pressure on biodiversity, emissions, waste and also improving our own food security.
- Reducing fossil fuel emissions simultaneously reduces air pollution, which is responsible for a significant burden of death and disease in Ireland while simultaneously improving our long term energy security.
What is Net Zero?
Defined as “completely negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity” terms such as Net Zero don’t really tell us anything about what this future may look like.
Fossil fuels, the major drivers of emissions, are non-renewable and are being extracted and consumed at ever increasing rates.
Net Zero is a certainty.
The question is whether we want to meet this future on our own terms. How will we manage this transition? Now or later? What is the health opportunity lost if we don’t invest and make the changes needed now?
Net Zero can also be an opportunity for Ireland to show international leadership, for healthy vibrant communities in every part of Ireland, for energy sovereignty, for cleaner air, for greater food security and for generational health. Or Net Zero can be an eventuality that is imposed upon us with the natural systems upon which our health depends irreversibly undermined.
Click to View Climate Action Plan 2024
Why Dingle?
Beyond windfarms and cycle lanes, one of the main and often overlooked ingredients to a sustainable future lies in healthy vibrant communities. Besides its outstanding natural beauty, there are a host of reasons to choose Dingle as a vision to aspire to;
- Dingle is a music, arts and culture hub.
- Dingle is thriving with sports and recreation.
- Dingle is an internationally acclaimed gastronomy hotspot.
However, under the hood there is lots more going on. In 2018 the Dingle Peninsula 2030 project was launched with an aim to help create a sustainable future for the peninsula, working with the local community, schools, businesses and farming sectors to support the societal changes required for a low carbon transition.
There are many other examples of Irish towns and cities that have been transformed by community and local authority-led sustainability initiatives.
- Dungarvan and Mulrany have seen huge boosts to local tourism with the introduction of greenways.
- Athlone has introduced an all-electric bus service for the town, reducing the burden of air pollution on the local population.
- Capel Street in Dublin is now booming since being pedestrianised, with increased footfall and renewed street life.
- Dun Laoghaire has transformed its congested coastal roads to the Coastal Mobility Route, one of Ireland’s premier urban walking and cycling routes.
We need a shared vision.
Climate Science has been clear for decades. Ireland is a world leader in climate policies, proposals and plans; we don’t need anymore. Now we need the arts, sport, culture, media and more to help paint a picture of what we should work towards.
This vision could be Dingle, Donegal or Dalkey. What matters is that a healthy and sustainable future looks and feels like vibrant and safe communities, full of culture, activity, green and blue spaces, where health and nature go hand in hand.
The Ask is clear.
We need our politicians to show leadership and to enact the policies we already have in place. The Ask is to reimagine Net Zero not as a chore or an impossible ideal, but as a can’t miss opportunity for health. Time isn’t on our side.
NetZero is a marathon and a race
Meet the team
Dr Cathy Burke: “Having recently returned to running after a long break, I’m thrilled to be doing the Dingle marathon with my IDE friends in one of the most stunning locations in the world. I find running to be a brilliant de-stressor as well as a time to reflect on things and form ideas. For me, the challenge of completing this marathon reflects the challenges we face in halting global temperature rise and keeping our communities safe and healthy. As is said in the gaeltacht “Ní neart go cur le chéile”; there is no strength without unity…”
Dr Aoife Kirk: “Running is one of my favourite ways to explore cities, seaside, mountains and anywhere in nature, usually stopping to take photos on the way! Nature has so much to offer for our mental, physical and spiritual health. Even though running is considered a solo sport, last year I joined a running community and it is such a great way to meet new friends, explore, challenge myself and keep mentally and physically fit while having fun. This is my first marathon, and I’m looking forward to running in the beautiful Kingdom of Kerry in Dingle to raise awareness of the climate crisis, which needs urgent global political action.j
Catherine Mulhall MPSI: “When Sean Owens shared this idea to run 26 miles to raise awareness about Net Zero, I thought it was such a fantastic idea and I signed up immediately. Sometimes the social and environmental problems facing us can seem insurmountable, but I find making progress step by step, really helps make things more manageable. So that’s how I intend to support Net Zero and also finish this marathon, one step at a time.”
Dr Lisa McNamee:“Running is a great way to destress. For all of us who are concerned about the pace of climate initiatives and the scale of the problem we face, it’s important that we use healthy coping strategies like exercise. This will be my first marathon and first visit to Dingle. It feels overdue on both counts.”
Dr Sean Owens:“Living by the sea, a run is such a lovely way to take in scenery. The light is always changing and the sea and sky just draw you in. I always wonder what the coast will look like in 2050, with sea level rise, increasingly unpredictable weather, bird populations on their knees and sea life so poorly protected. Then I realise that the actions we need to take are time dependent. I would like healthcare to find a greater voice in not just delivering sustainable healthcare, but demanding healthier and sustainable ways of living.”
and Dr Katherine Mansfield and Dr Oisin Brady Bates will also be running #26miles26years
FAQs
Are we raising money?
#26miles26years is about raising awareness as opposed to raising money, but if you would like to donate to a good cause, Irish Doctors for the Environment have a number of projects supporting sustainable healthcare and are a registered Irish charity.
I’m already running in another marathon this year, can I use #26miles26years to raise awareness?
Feel free to use the hashtag and use your run to raise awareness. We are all in this race!
I’ve never run a marathon, but would be interested in joining up.
Most of the below participants have never run a marathon, but that isn’t going to stop us. We’ll need to get started with some gentle training and work up from there. If you or someone in your organisation would like to get in touch to find out more please just get in touch with info@climateandhealthalliance.ie or irishdocsenv@ide.ie.
