Irish Examiner view: Green projects such as robot trees must convince voters

The jury is out on Cork’s ‘robot trees’ and whether they can match their claims to improve air quality

Controversial 'robotic trees' were officially rolled out across Cork City Centre in 2021. Picture: Cork City Council

The jury is out on Cork’s ‘robot trees’ — or regenerative bio-air filters made from sustainable moss to give them their full, glossy brochure title — and whether they can match their claims to improve air quality.

They were installed with some fanfare in the city centre at a cost of €400,000 while the country was still in partial lockdown, when a slew of left-field thinking was carried out and implemented without a whole lot of public debate.