Georgia Southern faculty open exhibit examining environmental changes in Georgia and Ireland
How deep are the connections between Georgia and Ireland?
Georgia Southern University has fostered academic connections with Wexford, Ireland since establishing a learning center there in 2019. Even further back, Georgia and Ireland share a history of immigration and trade – which is why Savannah boasts one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the nation. But did you know the two locations are also linked by climate change?
Faculty at Georgia Southern explore this connection in a recently opened exhibit, “Across Space & Time: 125 Years of Climate Change on Georgia Southern’s Campuses,” which is free and open to the public in the University’s Interdisciplinary Academic Building through the spring semester. The exhibit demonstrates how climate change impacts both locations in similar ways, thanks to the Gulf Stream bridging the ocean between.
Along the exhibit walls, timelines and colorful posters showcase natural events, like hurricanes, that occurred at similar times in southeast Georgia and Wexford. Data of the two climates show that warming has occurred at almost identical rates since the 20th century.
The exhibit also guides visitors on an educational journey through:
- A 125-year timeline of social, economic and environmental changes in Georgia and Ireland;
- Climate science behind and impacts of climate change on the places Georgia Southern calls home;
- Research and solutions coming out of Georgia Southern and its sister, South East Technological University in Ireland;
- International and local solutions for climate change.
The exhibit was funded by the Student Sustainability Fee.