COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, December 14, 2020

QUESTION NO. 17

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor

To ask the Chief Executive for an update on his actions to deal with the challenge of Climate Change in our County and will he furnish a statement?

REPLY:

The South Dublin Climate Change Action Plan was formally launched in September 2019. The CCAP identifies 130 actions under 6 areas to be monitored and addressed over the 5 year term of the plan in order to realise our 4 key targets.

In parallel to our CCAP, SDCC has committed to meeting the challenges outlined in the Governments Climate Action Plan 2019 through the Local Authority Climate Action Charter.

The key actions outline in these plans are;

SDCC CCAP

1. A 33% improvement in the Council’s energy efficiency by 2020
2. A 40% reduction in the Council’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
3. Make Dublin a climate resilient region by reducing the impacts of future climate change-related events
4. Actively engage and inform our citizens on climate change

Progress to date

Achievement of the first key targrt to achieve a 33% energy improvement by 2020. Each year, South Dublin County Council and Codema conduct a review of energy performance and produce an annual report. The 2019 end of year report, which was presented in August 2020, indicated that South Dublin County Council had surpassed the first target by achieving an improvement in energy efficiency of 34.4% over the baseline figure. Our new Energy Efficiency target is a 50% improvement by 2030. South Dublin has signed up to the Local Authority Climate Action Charter and we are now working towards a new target of 50% improvement in energy efficiency by 2030 (2009 baseline)

The Energy Review also presents updates on our progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The review outlines that by the end of 2019 SDCC had reduced its GHG emissions by 33.6%, leaving us in a favourable position towards achieving our 2030 target of 40% reduction.

A national reporting template was developed to track progress on the actions in each LAs Climate Change Action Plan. The template was completed and returned to the DECC by the end of October 2020. The template indicated that approximately 91% of the actions in SDCC’s CCAP (2019-2024) were either started or complete, 8% of actions had not yet started, and 1% of actions were postponed because of Covid-19.

An annual progress report on the CCAP was developed in coordination with the preparation of the reporting template. The report outlines progress on each of the 130 actions from the CCAP. The Annual Climate Change Action Plan update 2020 will be presented to South Dublin County Council at the December meeting.

Key points to note from the reports are;

1. Upgrading our public lighting stock from SOX to LED has been the main driver in improving our energy efficiency and carbon reductions. Phase 1 of the upgrade programme included 9,689 LED lantern replacements and was completed in 2020. Phase 2 of the programme commenced in September 2020 and will see 10,000 replacements over the next 5 years.
2. Connecting to the Tallaght District Heating Scheme will significantly reduce SDCC’s carbon emissions associated with heating buildings and facilities. Our residual carbon profile will result from our public lighting stock, fleet of vehicles, and electricity use in our offices, buildings and facilities.

 In 2020 the following projects contributed towards our climate change action,

• Progressing the Tallaght District Heating Project
• Replacement of public lighting lanterns
• Lighting upgrades to County Hall
• Energy upgrades including insulation and ventilation to 557 LA houses
• Development of a regional EV charging strategy
• Eco Driver training programme
• Provision of secure cycle parking through July Stimulus fund
• Footpath and cycleway improvements funded by July stimulus fund
• Development of cycle/pedestrian greenways
• Progress SuDS guidance
• Trial of Weather Impact Register App
• Progressing Poddle, Whitechurch and Camac Flood Alleviation Schemes
• Development of Biodiversity Action Plan
• Progressing Green Infrastructure and Open Spaces Strategy
• Development of natural play spaces
• Maintaining 136 Ha of wildflower pollinator friendly meadows
• Development of green roofs on sports pavilions
• Preliminary report on Arthurstown landfill as a renewable energy project
• Provision of public access water fountains
• Signing up to Breathelife campaign
• Citizen engagement workshops on Climate Action
• Engagement with Comhairle na nÓg
• Public consultation on Flood Alleviation Schemes
• Public consultation on greenways and cycle strategy
• Engagement with communities on Sustainable Energy Communities

These projects and those listed in the Climate Change Action Plan have helped SDCC progress towards achieving the 4 key objectives in 2020.

In 2021 our efforts will continue to deliver on these actions to further improve on our energy efficiencies and GHG reductions. Through our Flood Alleviation Schemes and our development strategies, we will continue to build resilience against climate related weather events into our projects. We will engage with our communities and businesses to ensure that their concerns are heard and properly addressed.