Fingal Climate Action Plan Background and Context
Increased ambition for Climate Action by Fingal County Council
In 2019 the Dublin Local Authorities published what were the first Local Authority Climate Change Action Plans (CCAP) in the country. The Fingal County Council CCAP set out four key targets and 133 actions that the Council would undertake in the areas of energy & buildings, transport, flood resilience, nature based solutions and resource management. These actions would assist the Council in both adapting to climate change and mitigating and reducing the Council’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Plan was developed in conjunction with the City of Dublin Energy Management Agency (Codema) and the Dublin Climate Action Regional Office (CARO). The Plan was subject to public consultation and Strategic Environmental Assessment processes. The Council has published a an annual progress report, these are available below.
The policy and legislative context relating to climate action has developed since the publication of the Council’s CCAP. A provision of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 provides that the Minister may issue guidelines in respect of the content and preparation of the local authority climate action plans and that local authorities shall comply with these guidelines. In addition, the publication of the Climate Action Plan 2021 and the Climate Action Plan 2023 seek to put Ireland on a more sustainable path, cutting emissions, creating a cleaner, greener economy and society and protecting the country from the consequences of climate change.
In 2023 the Council increased its level of ambition in the CCAP and aligned with the actions and targets in the National Climate Action Plan 2023. The target of reducing carbon emissions by 30% and increasing energy efficiency by 33% by 2023 was increased to 50% and 51%. Fingal County Council began works to publish the Fingal Climate Action Plan 2024-2029 in 2023. This plan was subject to public consultation and strategic environmental assessment processes.
The Fingal Climate Action Plan 2024-2029 was published on March 11th, 2024. Fingal's five -year plan is aligned to the Government’s overall National Climate Objective as set out in the National Climate Action Plan, which seeks to pursue and achieve, by no later than the end of 2050, the transition to a climate resilient, biodiversity rich, environmentally sustainable and climate neutral economy.
This Plan has four key targets, to:
- Improve the council’s energy efficiency by 50% by 2030
- Reduce the council’s greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030
- Make Dublin a climate resilient region by reducing the impacts of future climate change related events.
- Actively engage and inform our citizens on climate change.
The Fingal County Council Climate Action Plan 2024-2029 can be read here and as Gaeilge anseo.
Progress Reports
