Certain areas across the City are at risk from flooding from sources including groundwater, pluvial 1 , fluvial 2 and coastal 3 . There is historic evidence of flooding in various locations across the City, including along the Rivers Blackwater, Bandon and Lee, Glashaboy Estuary, Lee Estuary and Lough Mahon. 3.5 Air and Climate Total emissions of greenhouse gases by humans come from various sectors including transport, agriculture, energy industries, manufacturing combustion, industrial processes, residential developments, commercial services developments, waste management processes and fluorinated gases equipment (such as refrigeration and fire protection systems). The National Climate Action Plan 2023 is an all of Government plan to tackle climate change and bring about a step change in Ireland’s climate ambition over the coming years. The Plan sets out an ambitious course of action over the coming years to address the diverse and wide-ranging impacts climate disruption is having on Ireland's environment, society, economic and natural resources. The Climate Action Plan sets out clear 2030 targets for each sector with the ultimate objective of achieving a transition to a competitive, low-carbon, climate-resilient, and environmentally sustainable society and economy by 2050. The Action Plan deals with both mitigation and adaptation. Climate mitigation describes action to reduce the likelihood of climate change occurring or reduce the impact if it does occur. This can include reducing the causes of climate change (e.g. emissions of greenhouse gases) as well as reducing future risks associated with climate change. The Cork City Council Climate Action Plan 2024-2029 is a new statutory plan that features a range of actions across a number of themes, and sets out over 100 actions, grouped under five themes, though many actions cut across the themes:
• Governance and Leadership.
• Communities and Partnership.
• Built Environment and Energy.
• Transport and Mobility.
• Natural Environment and Resource Management.
The specific climate actions have been informed by the baseline research and stakeholder engagement. While the actions are climate focused, they have many additional social, environmental, economic and health benefits. The actions are wide ranging and include, for example, under governance and leadership and communities and partnership actions to instigate systemic change.
Measures in the built environment and energy include the decarbonisation of buildings, a significant escalation of rooftop solar-energy production, and the continuation of the public lighting and social housing retrofitting programmes. Flood defence schemes, engineered and nature-based, will play a key role in building the city’s resilience and adaptation to climate change. Notable actions in the transport and mobility area include the continued rollout of active-travel and public transport infrastructure and
1 Resulting from high intensity rainfall events where run-off volume exceeds capacity of surface water network.
2 Watercourse capacity is exceeded or the channel is blocked and excess water spills from the channel onto adjacent floodplains.
31 Resulting from higher sea levels than normal causing the sea to overflow onto land. Such flooding is influenced by high tide level, storm surges and wave action.
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