Karin Dubsky
Karin Dubsky (born 1954), is a German-Irish marine ecologist working in Trinity College Dublin, and is the coordinator and co-founder of Coastwatch Europe, an environmental NGO and a member of the European Environmental Bureau.
Dubsky speaks and campaigns regularly on environmental issues, especially affecting water quality, wetlands, dunes and bathing beaches, in the Irish media.
She has worked professionally in environmental education, and in research and practical projects ranging from wetland protection, over waste, oil and litter prevention and control, coastal zone management, environmental law and biodiversity policy. She co-designed the Blue Flag for Beaches award programme, co-founded the Irish Clean Air Group, an inter-disciplinary group from TCD and hospitals led by Dr. Luke Clancy, which successfully lobbied for the introduction of smokeless fuel in Ireland, and set up an international volunteer eco-audit of the coast which spread to 23 countries. Data from the survey were used by OSPAR and the EEA.
Data from the Coastwatch survey were also used to lobby for a plastic bag tax in Ireland, which, when introduced, was the first in Europe and brought plastic bag litter down from over 54 per km of shoreline to around 3-4.
She co-authored the chapter on public participation and communication in the World Health Organisation's Practical Guide to the Design and Implementation of Assessments and Monitoring Programmes for bathing waters [1]
Dubsky was appointed to the environmental pillar of Ireland's social partnership in May 2009 [2] and is on NESC (The National Economic and Social Council,[3] the Dublin Regional Authority's Dublin Bay Task Force [4] and the Wexford Local Development Board.[5] She was a member of the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board from 2005–2010, and Comhar.
She withdrew from the Seanad Election of 2011 due to an oversight in official registration of her Irish citizenship over forty years previously, which could not be rectified in time for the beginning of the election.[6]
Court Cases
Karin took a number of court cases as an individual and as part of Coastwatch. These include a Supreme Court decision that government must give reasons for opinions (Boyne estuary habitat restoration) and High Court injunctive relief to halt creosote sludge dumping in Waterford Port.[7] Dubsky instigated and persisted with EC complaints which ended in the European Court of Justice and belatedly resulted in improvements to landfill sites, provision of compensatory habitat and restoration of wetlands.
Environmental Lobbying
Dubsky campaigned for reform of legislation including public information on water quality of bathing beaches, which was introduced in Ireland ahead of other countries.
Some other specific actions taken by Karin include
Drawing public and official attention to Dublin area raw sewage problems by gaining access to official water monitoring results and organising citizen sewage reports. Researched treatment options and lobbied for a tertiary treatment plant.
Halting illegal cockle dredging in Waterford estuary with both media and Senate support.[8]
Exposing wrecking of Kilmuckridge-Tinnaberna Sandhills[9][10] and together with other Coastwatchers halted the cattle storage and pollution. A restoration order now in place is just being implemented.
Awards and Achievements
- Honorary Fellow of the Irish Hotel and Catering Industry (since 2000)
- Environmental Merit Award 2007. From the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (Ireland branch).
- Designed the Biodiversity and EU enlargement monumnent, erected in Malahide Castle, 2002.
- Drafted the Wexford Wetlands county inventory with Wexford County Council, as first inventory in Ireland.
Education
Second Level Education: Newtown School Waterford
Third Level Education: BA Zoology from Trinity College Dublin and Masters in Environmental Sciences taken partly in Galway, completed in Trinity College Dublin.
Personal life
Karin was born in Bonn in Germany and grew up on a farm straddling Bannow Bay Co. Wexford. She now lives in Ballymoney, Co Wexford, married to Paul Dubsky, with three sons - Stephan, Paul and Eoin - all working abroad and a daughter Julia who recently started college.
References
- ↑ "Microsoft Word - bathwattoc.doc" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ↑ "Dáil Eireann Debate Vol. 727 No. 3 - Departmental Appointments". Debates.oireachtas.ie. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ↑ "National Economic and Social Council - Our Organisation". Nesc.ie. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ↑ Dublin Regional Authority (2008-11-22). "Dublin Bay Task Force | Future role of Dublin". Dra.ie. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ↑ http://www.wld.ie/assets/files/pdfs/Wexford%20Local%20Development%20Board%20Members.pdf
- ↑ O'Halloran, Marie (2011-03-22). "'Don't vote for me', TCD candidate tells electors". The Irish Times.
- ↑ "Waterford Council investigates toxic waste scare - RTÉ News". Rte.ie. 2002-02-16. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ↑ "Ryan attacked over damage to estuary - RTÉ News". Rte.ie. 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ↑ "Intensive cattle farming causing severe damage to protected Wexford dunes". The Irish Times. 2010-07-30.
- ↑ "Destruction of Conservation Areas in Wexford - Coastwatch Action Site". Sites.google.com. 2010-03-19. Retrieved 2011-04-22.