Local climate action plans ‘within 12 months’

The Government is hoping to see all of the State’s 31 local authorities introduce their own respective climate action plans by spring 2024, as required under new legislation.

In March 2023, the Government introduced guidelines for the State’s 31 local authorities in establishing their respective climate action plans.

Local authorities are required to set individual plans under the aegis of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. Once adopted by the local authority, the plans developed by each of the local authorities will be valid for five years. The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has stated its ambition for all local authorities to have their plans finalised by the end of March 2024.

Section 16 of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, provides for the addition of Section 14B (1) of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 which sets out the provisions governing the establishment and operation of a local authority climate action plan.

Each plan will drive the adaptation and mitigation measures required at local level, and define a clear pathway for each local authority to:

• actively translate national climate policy to local circumstances with the prioritisation and acceleration of evidence-based measures;
• assist in the delivery of the climate neutrality objective at local and community levels; and
• identify and deliver a decarbonising zone (DZ) within the local authority area to act as a test bed for a range of climate mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity measures in a specifically defined area through the identification of projects and outcomes that will assist in the delivery of national climate objectives.

As part of the process, each local authority will carry out a stocktake of its emissions levels through a baseline emissions inventory. Each plan will also include a climate change risk assessment to understand climate change impacts and raise awareness at the local level.

Scope of local authority action plans

When established, there will be four scopes for the local authority action plans:

1. Full accountability for climate action within the local authority, which includes tracking and reporting on the reduction of emissions from their own internal operations, buildings, and facilities (including transport fleet, public lighting, retrofitting social housing, the provision of infrastructure etc.) in addition to building resilience to the negative impacts of climate change, within the organisation, through the range of services and functions provided.
2. Influence sectors, business, communities, and individuals in the delivery of local climate action through the various functions and services provided, as well as using many regulatory levers and the sector’s broader remit to enable, facilitate, and support them.
3. Co-ordinate and facilitate by bringing together key stakeholders, engaging in partnerships to maximise efforts and creating interactions that will yield successful initiatives and projects which may not otherwise occur.
4. Advocate for climate action by raising awareness, communicating, and engaging in open dialogues on climate related issues and responses.

CARO regions

There are four Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs) situated within four local authorities which provide for a coordinated regional approach on climate action across the local government system, with input from the County and City Management Association (CCMA). They will play a critical role in streamlining policies across the local authorities.

These offices were established to coordinate and oversee the delivery of the local authority sectoral adaptation strategies under the National Adaptation Framework in 2018 to support the local government sector. Following their establishment, funding of €10 million over a five-year period was announced.

The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has a service level agreement with the four lead local authorities to host the regional offices and deliver an annual work programme. The CAROs also provide climate action training for local authority staff and elected members, in partnership with the Local Authority Services National Training Group.