Today Dublin City Council’s Climate Change Action Plan was formally presented to Richard Bruton TD Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment by Dublin’s Lord Mayor Paul Mc Auliffe and Owen Keegan, Chief Executive with Dublin City Council. This is in response to the requirements of the National Adaptation Framework and Action 181 of the Minister’s National Climate Action Plan.
Dublin’s climate is changing and this poses significant risks and challenges to all of those living in the region. In response to this, Dublin City Council has produced the Climate Change Action Plan 2019-2024 in association with Codema (Dublin’s Energy Agency) and the Dublin Metropolitan Climate Action Regional Office (CARO).
In February of this year nearly 500 people attended the launch event for the Plan’s six-week consultation period in Dublin’s Mansion House. During the consultation period over 240 submissions were received. The final Plan contains 219 actions that cover five key areas – Energy and Buildings, Transport, Flood Resilience, Nature-Based Solutions and Resource Management (waste and water) and has four key targets:
- 33% better energy use by the Council by 2020
- 40% reduction in the Council’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
- To make Dublin a climate resilient region, by reducing the impacts of future (and current) climate change-related events
- To actively engage and inform citizens on climate change
The Plan was adopted by the City Council members in May of this year.
Lord Mayor Paul Mc Auliffe commenting on the Climate Change Action Plan said, “This is the first time that Dublin’s four local authorities have come together to produce individual Climate Change Action Plans for their specific areas. I welcome this initiative to examine and respond to the impact that climate change is having, and will continue to have, on the city and its citizens. Through the actions contained in this plan, Dublin City Council will take a leadership role by increasing the resilience of the city to extreme weather events, reducing energy use and applying low-carbon solutions to its services.”
Speaking about the Climate Change Action Plan, Owen Keegan, Chief Executive of Dublin City Council said “The actions presented in this plan will guide the City as we prepare for, respond to, and adapt to the impacts of climate change, taking measures to allow us to live with Climate Change. The actions will also facilitate a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The delivery of these actions in the short, medium and long term will enable the Council to respond to energy targets to 2030 and beyond.”
David Dodd, Regional Coordinator of the Dublin Metropolitan Climate Action Regional Office (CARO) said, “The Climate Change Action Plans demonstrates ongoing local authority commitment to climate action, and are aligned to the Government’s Climate Action Plan 2019. Bringing forward actions across both the mitigation and adaptation areas, can influence and encourage other sectors and Dublin residents to embed climate action into their daily lives. To realise the Plan the Council is leading on the message that every action counts.”
To read the Dublin City Council Climate Change Action Plan 2019-2024 click here http://bit.ly/DCCClimateActionPlan