Dublin Climate Action Week 2021

The four Dublin local authorities in conjunction with Codema and CARO organised ‘Dublin Climate Action Week’ in September 2021. The overall vision of Dublin Climate Action Week 2021 was – ‘to highlight Dublin’s climate action progress to its citizens and demonstrate the leadership role of the four local authorities in conjunction with other partners’.

A steering group chaired by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council worked together to devise a programme of events and promotional material to showcase the shared objectives of the initiative which were to:

Demonstrate progress on the implementation of the four Dublin local authority Climate Change Action Plans, and a regional approach to climate action;
Engage with a full range of partners to share knowledge on efforts and innovation across sectors;
Make climate action a ‘reality’ allowing citizens to see what climate action looks like;
Promote this initiative so as to fully engage with EU and international cities and our climate peers; and
Create a legacy so that this initiative can carry forward to subsequent years in a variety of ways.

The website www.dublinclimateactionweek.ie was established as a portal for information and booking of events. In total over 75 in-person and on-line events were delivered across the CCAP theme areas of Energy & Buildings, Transport, Flood Resilience, Nature Based Solutions, Resource Management and Citizen Engagement. The website continues to be a repository of information containing recordings of events and links to local authority work in the area of climate action. In addition to the website, the handle #DCAW21 was used in conjunction with regional and local videos and various media to promote and highlight the activities during the week both locally nationally and internationally.

You can view recordings of various events below, the full list is available on the website stated above.

All-Ireland Pollinator Plan Webinar - Dublin Climate Action Week 2021

One third of our wild bee species are threatened with extinction from Ireland. We know this is because we have drastically reduced the areas where they can nest and the amount of food our landscape provides for them. We can stand back and watch this happen, or we can try to do something. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is about all of us, from farmers to local authorities, to schools, gardeners and businesses, coming together to try to create an island where pollinators can survive and thrive. The Pollinator Plan provides an important framework to bring together pollinator initiatives from the North and South, and is the start of a process by which we can collectively take positive steps to protect our pollinators and the service they provide into the future. It is a shared plan of action. By working together we can help restore populations to healthy levels.

This webinar explores the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP) with particular emphasis on the work local authorities have done as well as the role of the public and communities. It provides a background to how the AIPP came about and its aims and benefits. Panel members discuss examples of successful biodiversity projects, showing the public how they can get information and get involved with preserving and restoring biodiversity in their local communities.

Electric Vehicles Webinar - Dublin Climate Action Week 2021

This webinar gives you the latest on electric vehicles (EVs) exploring; what are the different types of EVs, what's on the market and what's coming, what grants are available to purchase EVs and to charge them, what are the barriers/incentives for EV uptake and what are the plans are for public EV charge points?

COP 26 - What Can We Expect? - Dublic Climate Action Week 2021

This panel discussion involves experts in climate change science and climate negotiation at a national, European and International level. The webinar will looks at; what is a COP? (Conference of Parties), why is it important, what can be expected from COP26 in Glasgow in November and what role does Ireland have.

She's So Sustainable - Dublin Climate Action Week 2021

From Fighting Ebola to Fighting Climate Change - Dublin Climate Action Week 2021

A discussion with Dr. Sinead Walsh, Climate Envoy for Ireland. Dr. Walsh is author of the fascinating book ‘Getting to Zero - a Doctor and diplomat on the Ebola Frontline’ detailing experiences of the Ebola pandemic in Sierra Leone in 2014. The discussion includes; Dr. Walsh's extensive experience in the NGO and government sectors, Ireland's role in Climate Action in developing countries including examples of key achievements and projects and the role of Ireland in COP26 and other international climate fora.

About the speaker: Dr. Sinead Walsh is Ireland’s Climate Envoy. Prior to this she served as the EU Ambassador to South Sudan. She has worked for Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs since 2009. She previously served as the Ambassador of Ireland to Sierra Leone and Liberia and the Head of Irish Aid in the two countries. Before joining the government, Sinead spent ten years in the NGO sector. She has an MSc in Development Studies from UCD and a PhD in Social Policy from the LSE. She is the co-author of Getting to Zero: A Doctor and A Diplomat on the Ebola Frontline.

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Safe Routes to School Webinar - Dublin Climate Action Week 2021

This webinar provides an overview of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programme by An Taisce and the National Transport Authority with panel members from some Dublin Local Authorities providing examples of projects and plans in their areas.

The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Programme launched in March 2021 and was open to all schools in Ireland to apply for active travel funding and delivery. The programme is an initiative of the Department of Transport and supported by the Department of Education. It is operated by the Green-Schools Programme in partnership with the National Transport Authority (NTA) and the local authorities.

The Safe Routes to School Programme is designed to encourage as many pupils and students as possible in primary and post-primary schools to walk and cycle. It has three aims:

To accelerate the delivery of walking/scooting and cycling infrastructure on key access routes to schools.
To provide “front of school” treatments which will enhance access to your school grounds.
To expand the amount of bike parking available at schools.

More information on the Safe Routes to School initiatives can be found HERE.

Climate Change Projections for Ireland Webinar - Dublin Climate Action Week 2021

This panel discussion involving experts in climate change and weather talks about the differences between weather and climate, the current climate change projections for Ireland to 2050 and how we can adapt to the climate impacts we are experiencing and will face in the future.

IPCC 6th Assessment Report - Key Findings Webinar - Dublin Climate Action Week 2021

This webinar looks at the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report with Professor. Peter Thorne, National University of Ireland and a Coordinating Lead Author and with Kevin O Sullivan, Environment and Science Editor for The Irish Times. They discuss what the IPCC is, its role, how it prepares its climate assessment reports, this recent report and the timeline of future reports expected from the IPCC in 2022.