Chapter 5 I Climate Change and the Environment
5.22 Climate justice links human rights and development to achieve a human-centred approach, safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable people and sharing the burdens and benefits of climate change and its impacts equitably and fairly. Climate justice is an important part of the decision-making process and acknowledges the need for equitable stewardship of our natural resources as part of our future climate adaptation and mitigation actions. 5.23 Cork City Council supports the principle of a just transition and, through stakeholder engagement, will seek to ensure strategic carbon-reduction and climate adaptation initiatives arising from this Development Plan are explored, evaluated and implemented having regard to the need for a just transition and the City Council will endeavour to avoid or mitigate disproportionate impacts where they may occur. Energy Efficiency and Use of Resources 5.24 Conserving energy and using it more efficiently is an integral form of climate change mitigation. It is one of the most cost-effective ways of tackling climate change where all of society can play a role. The principle also underpins the Core Strategy which promotes more compact growth supported by a sustainable transport strategy and implemen- tation of the 15-minute city concept. This also applies to the use of natural resources and the need to ensure that where possible, we seek to minimise waste both now and in the future.
Decarbonising Zone
5.19 Cork City Council will identify a pilot Decarbonising Zone within the city as per Action 25c of the Government’s Interim Climate Actions 2021. A Decarbonising Zone is an area spatially identified by the local authority, in which a range of climate mitigation measures can co-exist to address local low carbon energy, greenhouse gas emissions and climate. The mitigation measures can include a range of technologies and measures addressing electricity, heat, transport, building energy efficiency, carbon sequestration, energy storage etc. The Zone must at a minimum reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 7% per annum from 2021 to 2030 (a 51% reduction over the decade) which is in line with the Climate Bill. It will become a demonstrator area with potential to roll-out the initiative to other parts of the City as part of an evolving process where lessons learnt will form a key factor in the evolution of the initiative. 5.20 Cork City Council will lead on implementing the Decarbonising Zone in partnership with key stakeholders and all development proposals within the identified Decarbonising Zone will be expected to comply with and contribute to the overall strategy and measures for the Zone. This is in line with national and international climate goals.
Just Transition and Climate Justice
5.21 Just Transition is a concept that puts local people’s needs at the heart of challenging actions required to mitigate and adapt to combined climate and socio-economic change. The intention is to support a fairer, and faster, transition from a polluting, extractive economy to one that is regenerative and sustainable. In delivering the concept, there is a pre- requisite to involve communities in climate action decisions owing to a risk of these disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable in our communities. This is particularly relevant to the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy and the shift to more sustainable transport modes.
Energy Efficient Buildings
5.25 The Cork Energy Master Plan (2019), coordinated by Energy Cork and funded by SEAI’s Sustainable Energy Communities Network, undertook a baseline energy assessment for Cork City and County. It confirms that across the study area, the residential and non-residential sectors account for over 70% of CO2 emissions.
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Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 I Volume 1
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