COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 22, 2014

QUESTION NO.22

QUESTION: Councillor D. Looney

To ask the Manager to make a statement on the Council's commitment to combating and adapting to climate change, and to state how Council policies in this area will be developed, implemented and reviewed in the time ahead?

REPLY:

The government published the National Climate Change Adaptation Framework (NCCAF) in December 2012. The EPA is compiling and producing guidelines in support of the implementation of the NCCAF. The EPA has selected SDCC to participate in the production of a draft Adaption Strategy in advance of the final review and publication of the guidelines. This involvement in what amounts to a pilot phase of its development is to our advantage, allowing us to receive first hand knowledge of what is required of SDCC, and the result will be a fully functioning and measurable Adaption Strategy for Climate Change.

This will be the first of its kind in Ireland and will be employed by the EPA as a best practice case study for other local authorities and public bodies to follow. The publication of the Heads of the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development Bill on April 23 2014 signalled the Government's intention to review and revise the NCCAF in 2016, at which point its policy stipulations will gain a legislative footing. The Heads of the Bill also signalled the Government's intention to develop a further Low-carbon Development Roadmap at national scale which will provide a high-level policy umbrella under which appropriate climate change mitigation targets will be set.

Staff resources have been identified for implementation of the climate change programmes that will arise from the Strategy.

The Draft Adaptation Strategy for Climate Change in the first instance, will be brought to the Environmental SPC for consultation and contribution.

In relation to increased extreme weather events, SDCC has combated those that have caused flooding in the Council’s functional area through flood relief schemes in the past, namely the River Griffeen and Camac Flood Relief Schemes, carried out in 2008. To abate future exceptional weather events, the Council in conjunction with the OPW and DCC have undertaken a programme of river Catchment based Flood Risk Assessment and Management Study, CFRAMS, prescribing a more proactive, sustainable flood risk management approach, with increased use of non-structural and flood impact mitigation measures, as required by the National Flood Policy Review of 2004 and the EU Floods Directive of 2007. The flood relief scheme for the River Poddle will be the Councils first capital project, progressing to flood relief schemes on the River Dodder, Whitechurch and Ballycullen Streams.