Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is my intention to try to provide the resources to ensure local authorities can serve their communities by preparing for the climate future that is ahead of us. The Bill I referred to earlier, which will amend the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, will include provisions about the role of local authorities and strengthening them in the delivery of new climate action plans. As I said, I have not yet had any direct dealings with the CARO representing the Atlantic seaboard north region. However I have had a series of meetings with Galway County Council, Galway Chamber, and environmental and community groups in Galway on a number of related issues. These were partly about the adaptation side but were focused in particular on transport issues in Galway. In those meetings I said we need to transform our vision for development for the region. To be honest, I was shocked when I saw the likes of the Connemara greenway, which was funded by €2 million several years ago and on which there has been no progression to date. Similarly, there was a decision to not progress with the greenway along the Salthill route. Those two routes could connect. Those are two examples of projects which are climate projects in a way, in the sense that they are mitigation projects but they also have potential for providing a really improved local environment, which is what we need to do with climate. As such I encouraged the city manager, the mayor, councillors, chamber of commerce and others to have Galway come forward with applications for projects which will help either with climate mitigation or adaptation. I do not believe lack of funding is the key constraint, but probably a lack of resources at the local level or some other reason local ambition has not yet been as significant as it should be.

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