Cork City Council launches ambitious Climate Action Plan.

25/03/24

Cork City Councillors voted to adopt the plan at Februarys full council meeting and the implementation phase of plan will now see increased positive climate actions throughout the city.

This is the first such plan produced for the city. It is unique in combining actions to reduce, or mitigate, greenhouse gas emissions, and to adapt to the climate changes that are already inevitable due to past emissions.

In drafting the plan, Cork City Council engaged with over 1,100 citizens, soliciting their ideas on how to achieve a fair and effective transition to a low-emissions and resilient future. The UCC analysis of greenhouse gas emissions in the city, commissioned by the climate Action Unit, showed that housing and transport are the biggest contributors to our carbon emissions and areas in which change is imperative.

Cork City Council received submissions from residents, community groups and businesses as well as regional and national bodies. Overall, the submissions were positive with respondents asking for an increase in ambition and pace on the proposed actions. The submissions prompted ten new actions and seven strengthened actions in the adopted Climate Action plan.

Some key positive climate actions Cork City Council are delivering include:

• €1.9 billion on housing which will see the provision of high-quality homes with a minimum BER rating of A2. This will see us support housing provision and climate goals.
• €190 million on Cork Docklands which will create a new liveable, walkable, and welcoming community right in the city centre.
• €134 million on walking and cycling facilities including Marina Promenade upgrade and the implementation of the Marina Park Phase 2 project, which will support active travel and improve access to green and blue infrastructure for residents and visitors alike.
• Establish a community leadership development programme to build the knowledge, confidence, and capacity of community groups to initiate local climate action.
• €5.5m allocated to start the design and planning phase of the Northwest Regional Park, including the appointment of a multi-disciplinary design team.

Lord Mayor of Cork, Kieran McCarthy said: “It is our direct response to the climate and biodiversity emergency in the city that we declared in 2019. As a city, we are also demonstrating our ambition by actively participating in the EU 100 Climate-Neutral & Smart Cities Mission to accelerate our journey to climate neutrality and place Cork at the forefront of climate action.

This is not just about our planet or our great-grandchildren. Acting on climate change will cause positive impact on our health, wealth, and well-being now. As I said in the foreword to the Climate Action Plan, this is not the work of the council alone. To succeed we must all work together. Business as usual is no longer enough”.

Chief Executive, Ann Doherty said: “We are in the moonshot decade for positive climate action. We know people throughout the city want more, and it is the responsibility of everyone, at every level, to act and make this desire a reality. The results from the Behaviour and Attitudes survey conducted during the formulation of this Climate Action Plan speak for themselves. Nearly two thirds of people want Cork to become a more sustainable place to live and work, 86% wanted more pedestrianised streets and 92% want more parks, biodiversity, and green spaces. We have a mandate to innovate, and we need to listen to and mobilise the entire city together in action.” 

Fearghal Reidy, Director of Strategic and Economic Development said: “From the consultation and surveys it is clear, the residents, communities and businesses throughout Cork City want to see action to address climate change.  Improved active travel, and public transport, pedestrianisation, public parks, and retrofit of homes and commercial buildings.  This action plan sets out key deliverables that will be rolled out in the city to address climate change and enhance the resilience of Cork.”

The process of drafting the plan began in 2023 with consultation with young people and children, community groups, businesses, public sector staff, and councillors, to find out what people in the city wanted to see in the Climate Action Plan. As an initial step, the recently established Climate Action Unit assessed the city’s climate risks and gathered baseline emissions data. At the same time, they commissioned several environmental reports and sought to gather feedback from city residents through statistically significant independent research. 

Under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, each local authority is required to prepare a local authority climate action plan for its respective administrative area. Local authorities are recognised by the national government as key drivers in advancing climate policy at the local level. The local authority climate action plans will help local authorities to address, in an integrated way, the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change adaptation and strengthen the alignment between national climate policy and the delivery of effective local climate action.

To see Cork City’s Local Authority Climate Action Plan go to:

Cork City Climate Action Plan - Cork City Council  

In 2022 Cork City was invited to participate, with 100 other cities, in the EU Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities. This Mission requires its members to set a radical goal of transitioning to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This year, Cork City will be agreeing commitments to climate action with businesses, public institutions and communities across the city, creating an investment plan and agreeing a Climate City Contract with our stakeholders, the Irish Government and the EU that will help us to work together and deliver a more sustainable city for all, that is a better place to live, work and invest long into the future.