Cork County Council has been appointed the lead authority to set up and manage a Climate Action Office for the Atlantic Seaboard.
CORK County Council has been appointed the lead authority to set up and manage a Climate Action Office for the Atlantic Seaboard.
This will see them, in association with UCC and CIT, develop expertise in the climate change risks of coastal flooding, sea level rise and storms common off our coast.
This came about as the government’s National Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 required the making of a National Mitigation Plan and National Adaptation Framework.
Both the Mitigation Plan (published in July 2017) and the National Adaptation Framework (published this January) proposed the establishment of regional climate action offices to coordinate the Local Authority response to climate action.
Following an evaluation process, Cork County Council was last September awarded the role of lead authority for the establishment and management of the Climate Change office for the Atlantic Seaboard South region, which consists of the administrative areas of Clare County Council, Cork City Council, Cork County Council, Kerry County Council and Limerick City and County Council.
It is envisaged that the regional team would develop an expertise on the predominant climate risks in their particular regions and develop regional strategies on that basis.
Tim Lucey, chief executive of Cork County Council said: ‘Local authorities are in the front line of responding to the effects of climate change and the funding announcement enables the sector to further develop their competence to deal with climate change. We look forward to establishing the office and working with the other local authorities in the region to deliver on climate action.’
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Declan Hurley, added: ‘Local authorities have a key role in driving practical policy and behavioural changes for communities to deal with the impacts of climate change and I welcome the announcement of funding for the establishment of the regional structure of expert teams to meet the challenge that climate change presents to our citizens.’
