(adopted by the Council of the Academy on 11th February 2021)
Climate change is currently the subject of unprecedented debate and publicity and has been described by the Irish government as “the defining challenge of our time”.
The Academy accepts the EU and Irish Government view that climate change is a global challenge that requires a global response. The Academy also acknowledges the objectives of the Paris Agreement which seeks to limit global warming.
Ireland’s contribution to the global response continues to gather pace. The Republic became only the second country in the world (after the United Kingdom) to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency on 10th May 2019.
Northern Ireland (as part of the United Kingdom) committed in 2019 to achieving net zero emissions of carbon by 2050.
The Irish Republic’s National Policy Position is to achieve a ”competitive, low-carbon, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable economy” by 2050.
The Irish Academy of Engineering welcomes these developments and commitments and, for its part, embraces the opportunity to make a contribution to achieving local and global climate goals thereby helping to secure the future wellbeing of Irish society, North and South.
We will seek to contribute by building on our roles of informing and educating through our independent, evidence–based policy evaluations and by using our convening function to facilitate and stimulate debate on issues and possible solutions.
We note the Engineers Ireland report, ‘Engineering 2020: A barometer of the profession in Ireland’, which found that almost three-quarters (74%) of the Irish public surveyed in the report said they believe that engineers have an ethical obligation to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
Engineering has a central role to play in bringing forward innovative technological solutions that are required in overcoming many of the obstacles to achieving Irish and EU climate policy goals.
The Academy also recognises that often complex and inter-connecting social, economic and political issues are raised by the challenge of climate change and all aspects must be addressed in an holistic manner.
The Irish Academy of Engineering looks forward, in conjunction with fellow academies and other actors in Ireland and further afield, to continuing and expanding our active and focused role in society’s broad response to the “defining challenge of our times”.
Context
Social media has been defined as a computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through the building of virtual networks and communities.
By design, social media is Internet-based and gives users quick electronic communication of content. Content includes personal information, documents, videos, and photos. Users engage with social media via a computer, tablet, or smartphone via web-based software or applications.
The power of social media is the ability to connect and share information with anyone on Earth, or with many people simultaneously.
Globally, there are more than 3.8 billion social media users. Social media is an ever-changing and ever-evolving field, with new apps such as TikTok and Clubhouse launched regularly, joining the ranks of established social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
According to the U.S. based Pew Research Center, social media users tend to be younger. Nearly 90 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 used at least one form of social media.
Social media have many applications. For example, they may be used for social networking, bookmarking, social news, media sharing, microblogging, online forum sites and so on.
The most popular social media websites as of January 2021 were:
The two websites that are currently used by the Academy are Linkedin and Twitter. These, like Facebook, are generally considered to be “social network” sites. Such sites are “relationship” based in that they help organisations connect online to share information, news and ideas.
Social Media Policy
General Principles
The stated aim of the Irish Academy of Engineering is “to advance the wellbeing of the country by marshalling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to policy makers on matters involving engineering and technology” on a pro bono basis.
The Academy also seeks to be a thought leader in a time of great change.
Postings to Social Media should align with these stated aims of the Academy and thereby uphold the reputation of the Academy as a source of independent, evidence-based information and advice.
Postings should follow the guidelines set out below.
Objectives
The objectives of the Academy’s Social Media Policy are to increase member engagement, raise awareness of the Academy and its activities and increase traffic to the website www.iae.ie.
Social Media can also be a useful communications tool enabling the sharing of relevant general and specific news and information with Fellows and the wider community.
Guidelines