Key Points
- BBC Environment Correspondent Matt McGrath is set to be based for five months at Cardiff University to examine the clean energy transition worldwide.
- This project will focus on “Flying on dead donkeys: The unintended consequences of the global clean energy transition.”
- He will work alongside Professor Richard Cowell from Cardiff University’s School of Geography and Planning.
- The reporting will be on the United Kingdom and Europe, focusing on technologies, trade-offs, and unintended consequences related to transitioning away from fossil fuel.
- The residency is being offered through the FRONTIERS science journalism project, which receives funding from the European Research Council (ERC).
- Ten journalists have been selected to join FRONTIERS’ fourth and last cohort out of 60 applicants; this batch has nine different nationalities representing Europe and the Americas.
- Matt McGrath has been reporting on environmental stories for over three decades.
- Professor Richard Cowell is focused on the governance challenges in low carbon energy systems, including local area energy plans in Wales.
- The project will not only be academically driven but will include field reporting as well.
Cardiff (Wales Times) October 15, 2026 – BBC environment correspondent Matt McGrath has begun a five-month residency at uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff University to examine the practical consequences of the global shift away from fossil fuels. The project, titled Flying on dead donkeys: the unintended consequences of the global clean energy transition, will pair journalism with academic research on how clean-energy policies work in real places.
As reported by Mirage News, the collaboration will involve McGrath and Professor Richard Cowell, of Cardiff University’s Department of Geography and Planning. The university said McGrath will receive support from Cowell throughout the residency.
The project will look beyond headline climate targets and investigate what is being built, bought, burned and changed as governments, companies and communities attempt to create cleaner energy systems. According to Cardiff University’s release, carried by Mirage News, the reporting will take place across the UK and Europe.
Why Is Matt McGrath Working With Cardiff University?
McGrath said the clean energy transition is one of the largest changes to daily life and economic power in generations, but that reality is “far messier and more interesting” than a simple replacement of fossil fuels with renewables. As reported by Mirage News, he said he wants to examine “some of the strange consequences that emerge when ambitious climate policies meet the physical world”.
He added that Cardiff University is an “ideal place” for the work because Professor Cowell’s research on energy, infrastructure and major transitions in real places can bring academic insight together with field reporting.
McGrath is an environment correspondent for the BBC and has covered environmental issues for more than 30 years. Nation.Cymru also reported the residency, describing McGrath as an “accomplished” environmental journalist joining the university research project.
What Will the Project Investigate?
The reporting project will explore developments on the ground as countries attempt to move away from fossil fuels. Cardiff University said it will investigate “surprising technologies, trade-offs and unintended consequences” emerging during the construction of a cleaner energy system.
The title, Flying on dead donkeys, signals a focus on consequences that may not be anticipated in conventional accounts of the energy transition. However, the available reporting does not specify particular technologies, locations or findings; it describes the project’s scope rather than its conclusions.
Professor Cowell’s research focuses on the governance challenges involved in delivering low-carbon energy systems. His work on Local Area Energy Plans in Wales examines the difficulty of aligning multiple actors, while also considering how the legacy of former fossil-fuel sites affects innovative energy projects.
How Is the Residency Funded?
The residency is supported by FRONTIERS, a science journalism initiative funded by the European Research Council. The programme places science journalists within research institutions while seeking to preserve journalistic independence.
FRONTIERS selected ten journalists for its fourth and final round of fellowships. The final call attracted 60 applications and was open to journalists at all career stages.
The selected cohort includes journalists from nine nationalities across Europe and the Americas. FRONTIERS’ own listing identifies Matthew McGrath, of Ireland, as the fellow behind Flying on Dead Donkeys, with Cardiff University in the United Kingdom named as his host institution.
What Has Cardiff University Said?
Professor Richard Cowell welcomed the collaboration. As reported by Mirage News, he said:
“I am very excited about our School working with Matt McGrath on his residency project.”
The university’s announcement did not identify a start date beyond the autumn 2026 residency period, nor did it list specific outputs such as broadcast dates, articles or public events. Mirage News noted that its article was a public release from the originating organisation and that views and conclusions were those of the author or organisation.
Cardiff Daily reported on 15 October 2026 that McGrath had “commenced” the project in partnership with Cardiff academics, describing it as an examination of the unintended consequences of the global clean energy transition.
What Does FRONTIERS Involve?
FRONTIERS is designed to give journalists an immersive period inside a research institution. Its fourth-round call ran from 25 February to 25 May 2026, with residencies lasting between three and five months.
The programme supports up to 40 fellowships across four calls between 2023 and 2026, with total funding of 600,000 euros. Each residency provides 6,000 euros per month, according to programme information cited by Eurodesk.
FRONTIERS said selected fellows would undertake residencies in eight European countries: Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Background of the Development
The announcement comes as governments across Europe pursue targets to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and expand renewable energy, electric transport, grid infrastructure and low-carbon heating. Cardiff University’s project does not challenge those goals directly; instead, it seeks to document the practical difficulties that arise while implementing them.
Professor Cowell’s prior work is central to the collaboration. His research on Local Area Energy Plans in Wales addresses how local authorities, network operators, developers, communities and other actors coordinate energy strategies. It also considers how former fossil-fuel landscapes can shape new energy infrastructure.
The FRONTIERS programme’s final round was oversubscribed, receiving a record 60 applications for ten fellowships. The programme said selected journalists began residencies in autumn 2026, making McGrath’s Cardiff project part of the initiative’s concluding cohort.
Prediction: How Could This Affect UK and European Audiences?
For UK and European audiences, the project could make the clean energy transition more understandable by focusing on local impacts rather than abstract national targets. Readers may see clearer reporting on planning disputes, grid constraints, supply chains, land use, community consent and the reuse of former industrial sites.
For Welsh audiences in particular, Professor Cowell’s involvement suggests the project may draw attention to Local Area Energy Plans and the practical governance of decentralised energy systems. If the reporting follows those themes, it could help residents, councils and businesses better understand who decides where infrastructure is built and how local benefits and burdens are distributed.
For policymakers and energy firms, sustained journalism on unintended consequences could increase scrutiny of delivery risks. The project is not, on the available evidence, an evaluation of climate policy; it is a reporting residency intended to document how ambitious energy plans interact with physical infrastructure, markets and communities.
