I welcome funding for Laois Offaly County Councils to resource climate action partnerships with communities. €27 million was allocated by Minister Eamon Ryan and will support Council’s direct engagement with communities to promote and assist in the scale up of community climate action.
The 2023 Climate Action Plan highlights how communities can benefit from the transition to a low carbon future: We will see more efficient homes; better travel options; more livable towns and cities; more sustainable consumer choices; and a better environment for future generations. This funding announcement, under the Community Climate Action Programme, empowers communities to realise these benefits locally.
Climate action is often expressed in terms of national targets but delivery can and must happen at regional and local level. This Government is committed to ensuring that Local Authorities have the capacity to effectively downscale these targets and deliver them. Communities have a pivotal role to play and I am always heartened and humbled by how much work is underway at community level. Many local communities ‘get’ the scale of the climate and biodiversity challenges and are already taking action or organising themselves to start. Today’s funding will support their work through partnership with the Local Authority.
Laois County Council and Offaly County Council are currently establishing their Climate Action Team, including Climate Action Coordinator, Climate Action Officer and Climate Action Community Officer. Some of these are very new roles and indicate the need for and support of climate action at every level of our society.