Chapter 5 I Climate Change and the Environment
5.6 In addition, the European Union Directive on Energy Efficiency (2018) lists a set of binding measures to help the EU reach a minimum 32.5% energy efficiency target by 2030. The European Union Renewable Energy Directive (2018) sets a binding renewable energy target for the EU for 2030 of at least 32%. 5.7 In December 2019 the European Commission published the European Green Deal which confirms an overarching goal for Europe’s Economy and Society to become carbon neutral by 2050 with an intention for the goal to be enshrined in legislation (the ‘European Climate Law’) in 2021. 5.8 These international legislative and policy initiatives have influenced and will continue to influence the response to climate change at a national, regional and local level. While relatively small in terms of scale and population in an international context, Cork City must continue to play its role in achieving these shared objectives to address climate change. Cork City Council will work with partners and be guided by a range of national, European and international good practice in the area of climate change adaptation and climate change mitigation. The scale of the city means that we are in a position to pilot various initiatives and innovations aimed to address climate change. National Climate Change Legislation, Policy and Guidance 5.9 In December 2015, the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 came into force and it enshrined the national objective of transitioning to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy up to 2050. This provided the statutory footing for both National Mitigation Plan (2017; but it was later quashed by the Supreme Court on 31 July 2020) the National Adaptation Framework (2018) which requires Local Authorities to prepare their own Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and it identified 12 sectors requiring the preparation of Sectoral Climate Change Adaptation Strategies.
5.10 The Government published the Climate Action Plan in 2019 which lists 183 actions across 12 sectors aimed at reducing Ireland’s carbon emissions by 30% between 2021 and 2030 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. On 23 March 2021 to coincide with the publication of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 and its renewed carbon emission reduction ambitions over the period to 2030 (see below), the Government published ‘Interim Climate Actions 2021’. These interim actions include outstanding actions from the Climate Action Plan 2019, actions that follow-on from those completed in the Climate Action Plan 2019, and other new actions including delivery of the Programme for Government commitments. A new national Climate Action Plan is under preparation in the meantime. 5.11 The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 is expected to come into force later in 2021. The Draft Bill seeks to establish a legally binding, national commitment to secure a 51% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and a reduction to net zero by no later than 2050. It confirms an intention for the Government to prepare a new national Climate Action Plan in 2021 and for the plan to be then updated annually. One of the draft provisions within the Bill includes the requirement for Local Authorities to prepare Climate Action Plans (CAPs) for their administrative areas addressing climate mitigation and adaptation measures within 12-months of the Minister making such a request and then updating the CAPs every 5 years. The evolving statutory framework in the delivery of climate change and adaptation goals may require further variations to the Development Plan over the plan life cycle to reflect the dynamic policy context internationally and nationally.
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Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 I Volume 1
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