Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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219. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the details of his engagement to date with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to supporting and promoting efforts at the local government level on climate action particularly in relation to County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26394/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Under the Climate Action Plan 2019, a Climate Action Charter for Local Authorities was agreed between my Department and the Local Authorities. The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government was consulted as part of this process.The goal of the Charter is to ensure that every Local Authority embeds decarbonisation, sustainable development and climate resilience into every aspect of the work they do.  The Charter acknowledges the need to take collective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the impacts of climate change, while also committing Local Authorities to being advocates for climate action.Under the Charter, Local Authorities will measure the carbon impact of activities and implement measures to reduce carbon emissions in line with national objectives, including a 50% improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.

In 2018, my Department entered into a five year financial commitment of €10 million to establish four Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs).  Cork County Council is the lead authority for the Atlantic Seaboard South region, which also includes the Local Authorities for counties Clare, Limerick and Kerry, as well as Cork City. My Department engages with all four CAROs on a regular basis, in particular through participation in the National Local Authority Climate Action Steering Group. Under the National Adaptation Framework, each Local Authority has developed a Local Adaptation Strategy. These strategies are now being implemented, and each CARO is working with the Local Authorities in its region to both facilitate and monitor implementation of the local climate adaptation actions within the strategies. 

The Climate Action Bill further strengthens the role of Local Authorities in climate action. It sets out legislative requirements for each Local Authority to prepare a Climate Action Plan, which will include both mitigation and adaptation measures and be updated every five years. These plans will have to be consistent with national climate plans and strategies, and Local Authorities will have to liaise with each other in the preparation of these plans.

To build the necessary capacity, my Department is also funding and engaging with the CAROs in relation to the implementation of a new Local Authority climate action training programme. This programme is increasing knowledge of climate change and the need for action among all Local Authority staff, and will facilitate both climate mitigation and adaptation at local level.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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220. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the actions he has taken to promote and encourage participation in the consultation Climate Conversation - Climate Action Plan 2021, including all media advertisements and social media posts between 16 March 2021 and 12 May 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26395/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Climate Conversation asks citizens and communities to tell us what getting to net zero means to them – the challenges, their hopes, and the ways Government can support them to take action.My Department has taken a number of steps to promote and encourage participation in this process.

Firstly, much consideration has been given to the design of a consultation that is user-friendly, easy to complete, and housed on an accessible platform. My Department has ensured that the open consultation period is long enough to support widespread engagement.

In order to accommodate the two-way dialogue that a process like this requires, my Department worked closely with Local Authorities and Public Participation Networks to organise virtual discussion forums, in order to give the opportunity to individuals and communities across all regions to have their say. As part of this process my Department conducted 28 virtual worskhops across 26 counties. This included 18 Public Participation Network sessions, organised with the support of the Local Authorities, and 12 youth conversations, organised with the support of Foróige and Comhairle na nÓg. In addition, two in-depth dialogue sessions were held, with almost 50 householders, community representatives, NGO representatives and students. My officials conducted briefings and information sessions with Environmental NGOs and stakeholders to promote and discuss the consultation.

In terms of wider communications, my Department has invested a great deal of time and resources into ensuring that this consultation is highly visible and that the public are encouraged to participate. This includes the following promotional activities:

- A national radio campaign, broadcast in a burst when the consultation first opened, and targeted at citizens who may be less active online or on social media. This campaign achieved an audience reach of 750,000, representing over half the radio listenership of the selected stations nationally.

- Regular media engagement from myself and my Government colleagues, including print, TV, radio and podcasts, aimed at a variety of audiences.

- A 6-week social media campaign across Facebook and Instagram, targeted at the 16-35 age groups, and utilising a variety of content including video, Instagram Stories and static posts. The performance of this campaign up to the end of April was as follows:  Reach: 812,754; Impressions: 4,674,247; Post engagements: 19,402.

An ongoing organic campaign across Twitter and Linked In, targeting specific themes related to the consultation, including Home, Travel, Waste and Community. A summary of these organic posts is contained in the table below.

In addition, my Department has leveraged the communications network across government and the wider public sector to ensure all messages around participation in the Climate Conversation consultation are shared and amplified.