3.2 Achievements

Addressing climate change requires effective leadership and commitment at international, national, regional and local level. Whilst the actions of Dublin City Council may seem small in this context, it is important that progress is made in conjunction with the efforts of other authorities and agencies. The Council has been active in progressing the following policies and projects:

• The Council, in co-operation with Codema (City of Dublin Energy Management Agency), has embarked on various initiatives/events to help reduce energy usage. These include the ‘Think Energy’ campaign, a 3-year programme to reduce energy demand, and also other initiatives for the business/industrial sector including the ‘Green IFSC’ initiative, and the ‘E-merge’ project. ­

• Dublin City Council’s Climate Change Strategy is now being updated, with a focus on actions and targets. ­

• Current policies and objectives aiming to encourage active travel, and particularly cycling, have been relatively successful. This helps reduce CO2 emissions associated with transport. ­

• A number of planned physical adaptation measures for coastal areas have been progressing in accordance with works set out in Appendix 17 of the 2011 – 2017 development plan. ­

• Flood risk management and related measures/works have been advancing on foot of statutory guidance and project work (see Chapter 9). This process will help prevent inappropriate future development in areas prone to flooding. ­

• Dublin City Sustainable Energy Action Plan 2010 – 2020 aims to reduce carbon emissions by 20% over the lifetime of the plan. A progress report for 2014 states that energy consumption in the city fell by 36% between 2006 and 2011 although this is mostly attributable to the downturn in commercial and construction activity during the recession.