We're collaborating with 16 radio stations across Ireland to create a new model for climate reporting
Ours to Protect, Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, and the Institute for Climate Sound & Society (ICSS) at the metaLAB at Harvard University are embarking on a groundbreaking project to incorporate sound data into climate reporting. This sonic data will be gathered using inexpensive, cutting edge technology called “passive acoustic monitors”, which are small recording devices that can capture sound both on land and in marine environments for months at a time. These recorders are transforming the way scientists monitor the impacts of climate change on individual species and ecosystems.
For this unique collaboration, we have distributed passive acoustic monitors (specifically, AudioMoths) to 16 radio stations from 16 counties in Ireland. The climate reporters at each station will partner with schools and youth organizations to determine where to place the recording devices and what sounds or ecosystems to monitor, based on local knowledge. This project will be a seminal example of how passive acoustic monitors can be used in local climate reporting. In May 2025, the Institute for Climate Sound & Society gathered with reporters from these 16 stations for a workshop and training session on how to use passive acoustic monitors to monitor ecological phenomena related to climate change and provide support and inspiration on how to incorporate the sound data into local reporting.
Some ideas of how these recorders might be used in climate reporting:
- identify the presence and abundance of various species by recording and analyzing their vocalizations
- detect human impact on habitat quality, such as human or industrial noise and the reduction of natural sounds
- capture sounds of rivers, ponds, lakes and marine life
- detect the presence of invasive species by identifying their sounds
- Record specific ecological events that mark important moments in local communities, such as a cicada emergence or the arrival of a certain migratory species