Executive Summary

Foreword

Message from Lord Mayor Nial Ring

I welcome the publication of the Climate Change Action Plan. The plan represents a concerted effort to diverge from a ‘business as usual’ scenario, will assist in meeting binding EU 2020 targets and mitigate against fines that could be imposed, if Ireland does not meet these challenging targets. Dublin is thriving as a premier European City - and its citizens are its best asset. The impacts of climate change are increasingly being felt at the local level, including recent heat wave and storm flooding events. Having regard to the sustainable development of Dublin into the future, policy and decision makers need to be committed to embedding climate change into spatial planning, infrastructure development and local authority functions and operations. A range of other measures are required to support this agenda, including ringfencing appropriate funds for climate change in future national budgets. Dublin City Council is a signatory to the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy. The preparation of this Climate Change Action Plan facilitates capacity building and shared knowledge between cities across Europe, in addressing both climate change mitigation and adaptation, at the local level. I wish to thank the Climate Change SubCommittee of the Environment SPC, Chief Executive, Council staff and Codema, who worked in partnership on the preparation of this plan and look forward to working with my colleagues on its finalisation and implementation.

Message from the Chief Executive Owen Keegan

It is the mission of the Corporate Plan 2015-2019 to make Dublin the ‘best place in which to be, to live, to work, to do business and to enjoy’. As the City continues to experience growth and facilitates ongoing development across the housing, economic, social, cultural and other sectors, the Council is committed to safeguarding the environment and increasing the City’s capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. This is a key consideration if the City is to continue to increase economic competitiveness and attract inward investment. Enhancing urban resilience to climate change is at the heart of the Climate Change Action Plan, which has been prepared by Codema (Dublin’s Energy Agency) in partnership with staff across all Council Departments. The actions presented in this plan will guide the City as we prepare for, respond to, and adapt to the impacts of climate change and facilitate a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The delivery of these actions in the short, medium and long term will enable the Council to respond to energy targets to 2030 and beyond.

I welcome the establishment of the Dublin Metropolitan Climate Action Regional Office, which will work closely with Dublin City Council, Codema and the other Dublin Local Authorities in the implementation, monitoring and updating of the Climate Change Action Plan, into the future.

Executive Summary

For the first time, Dublin's four local authorities have joined together to develop Climate Change Action Plans as a collaborative response to the impact that climate change is having, and will continue to have, on the Dublin Region and its citizens. While each plan is unique to its functional area, they are unified in their approach to climate change adaptions and mitigation, and their commitment to lead by example in tackling this global issue. 

This Climate Change Action Plan features a range of actions across five key area - Energy and Buildings, Transport, Flood Resilience, Nature-Based Solutions and Resource Management - that collectively address the four targets of this plan:

• A 33% improvement in the Council's energy efficiency by 2020.
• A 40% reduction in the Council's greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
• To make Dublin a climate resilient region, by reducing the impacts of future climate change-related events.
• To actively engage and inform citizens on climate change.

In order for Dublin City Council to achieve these targets, this Climate Change Action Plan sets out the current climate change impacts and greenhouse gas emission levels in the City, through the development of adaption and mitigation baselines. It also examines the future impacts that climate change may have on the region and then sets out a first iteration of actions that will be used to reduce the source and effects of these impacts.

The adaption baseline has identified that the effects of climate change are already impacting Dublin City at a significant rate and are very likely to increase in their frequency and intensity. Dublin Bay's average sea level appears to be rising faster than initially forecasted and has risen by twice the global average in the last 20 years. The number of days with heavy rainfall has also increased, and the amount of extreme flooding events in the capital has risen in the last 10 years. Dublin City has also experienced extreme temperatures, as witnessed recently in 2018, with Met Eireann issuing its first ever Status Red warning for snow in February, followed by one of the hottest summers on record during June and July. All these extreme weather events clearly highlight the need to reduce the impacts that climate change is having on the environment, the economy and the citizens of Dublin. 

The mitigation baseline calculates the greenhouse gas emissions for the Council's own activities and also for the entire City (including a breakdown of the residential, transport and commercial sectors). It found that Dublin City Council produced just under 40,370 tonnes of CO₂ in 2017 and has reduced its emissions by 24% in the last 10 years. In addition, the Council has improved its energy efficiency by 29.8% and is currently on track to meet its 33% energy efficiency target by 2020.

The actions in this plan have been gathered to close the gap between the current baselines and the stated targets, and will be regularly updated and added to on the Dublin Climate Change platform (www.dublinclimatechange.ie). These actions have many co-benefits, such as improved health through cleaner air and active travel, a better environment through habitat protection, and a stronger economy from new markets and job opportunities. 

However, given that the Council's buildings, operations and social housing account for less than 5% of the total emissions in Dublin City, it highlights the need to tackle the remaining 95% of emissions produced city-wide. In recognising this challenge, Dublin City Council will work with key stakeholders to influence and support carbon reduction initiatives across the City's transport, commercial and residential sectors. 

In addition, as public awareness is key to tackling both climate adaption and mitigation, Dublin City Council commits through this plan to address the current knowledge-gap and will encourage citizens to act on climate change through a range of awareness and behavioural change actions. 

This Climate Change Action Plan has been developed by the Dublin energy agency Codema on behalf of Dublin City Council, following an extensive process of research, policy analysis, one-to-one meetings and workshops with staff and regional working groups. It follows on from the publication of 'A Strategy towards Climate Change Action Plans for the Dublin Local Authorities' , which was published in January 2017.

The actions in this plan will be continually monitored and updated by a dedicated climate action team working across all Council Departments. They will be assisted by the newly established Dublin Metropolitan Climate Action Regional Office, which will ensure that the overall plan is fully updated every five years to reflect the latest policy, technology and climate-related impacts. The new office will work with Codema, as technical support and research partner, to ensure that the plans continue to be informed by international best practice and regional research institutions. 

About The Plan

Dublin City Council's Climate Change Action Plan sets out how the Council will improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its own buildings and operations, while making Dublin a more climate-resilient City with engaged and informed citizens. This will be achieved by a range of ongoing and planned actions in five key areas, which will be continuously monitored, evaluated and updated to 2030 and beyond.

Key Targets

• 33% improvement in the Council's energy efficiency by 2020
• Make Dublin a climate-resilient region by reducing the impacts of future climate-related events
• 40% reduction in the Council's greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
• Actively engage and inform our citizens on climate change

Overview of Dublin City

• Population 554,554
• 240,553 households
• 52km of coastline

Main Risk Areas

• Sea level rise
• Flooding
• Extreme weather events such as storms, cold spells, heat waves

Actions Areas

• Energy & Buildings
• Transport
• Flood Resilience
• Nature-based solutions
• Resource Management