Latest news with #DepartmentofClimate
RTÉ News
7 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
€2bn retrofitting committment under review, department says
A commitment given by the last government to spend €2bn retrofitting residential homes by the year 2030 is now under review by current Minister for Environment and Energy Darragh O'Brien. A departmental spokesperson told RTÉ News that following the publication of the revised National Development Plan on Tuesday, allocations to specific programme areas are "still being finalised". Within a year of the Green Party going into Coalition with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in 2020, a new National Development Plan was published which had a distinct environmental and climate action focus. There was increased funding of residential retrofits on the basis that it insulates homes and reduces the use of fossil fuels. That Coalition's National Development Plan promised to increase the retrofit budget from €202m in the year 2022 to €2bn by the year 2030. This week, the new Coalition published a revised National Development Plan which boosts NDP funding by €30bn over the next five years. However, the document does not identify what projects will be funded or by how much. Asked if the retrofit budget will be €2bn by the year 2030, a Department of Energy spokesperson could only say yesterday that individual budget lines are "still being finalised", but added that a record €550m has been allocated to the sector this year. The Green Party's Spokesperson on Energy Ossian Smyth has warned that any deviation from the old 2030 targets would be bad for the public and further endanger Ireland's chances of reaching its carbon reduction targets. A spokesperson of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment said: "The Programme for Government affirmed the Government's commitment to making Ireland's buildings more sustainable and energy-efficient, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and lowering energy costs for households. "By promoting retrofitting, renewable heating, and solar energy, we aim to make homes warmer, cheaper to heat, and less reliant on fossil fuels. "We are delivering at scale and pace on our National Retrofit Plan, with €421m of capital expenditure and almost 54,000 home energy upgrades completed last year in 2024. "This year, in 2025, a record capital budget of over €550m has been allocated to the SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including the Solar PV Scheme. "This allocation will support over 64,500 home energy upgrades to make homes warmer, healthier and more comfortable, with lower emissions and lower bills. "More broadly, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment welcomes the substantial of €5.64bn allocation under the National Development Plan review, in addition to a landmark €3.5bn investment in Ireland's electricity grid infrastructure. "Thereafter, allocations of monies to specific programme areas within the department are still being finalised. Programme allocations will be announced in due course. "The Government is committed to the continued delivery of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including delivering more B2 home energy upgrades; revising and improving the provision of grants and financing models for homeowners who wish to retrofit, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing costs; as well as the supporting group retrofitting projects and area-based approaches to retrofitting. "On our National Retrofit Plan, we continue to build on the progress achieved in recent years. Since 2019 and to mid-year 2025, there has been a record level of more than €1.4 billion invested in SEAI schemes to support over 213,000 home energy upgrades, including over 69,000 B2s and almost 28,000 fully-funded upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme."
Irish Examiner
23-06-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Climate action more successful if communities are involved in projects, new research finds
Climate action is more successful if communities are involved in initiatives from the very outset, new research has found. Published by Pobal and the Department of Climate, the research paper looked at 19 projects given Government funding and examined how they can be scaled up and replicated around the country. Under then-minister Eamon Ryan, more than €31m had been allocated to phase two of the Community Climate Action Programme across the country. These included projects run by Bohemians FC in Dublin, and Pobal said each one created tools, resources and approaches to assist their communities to take 'meaningful action on climate change'. 'Effective community climate action requires ongoing and inclusive engagement, partnerships with local groups and creating a sense of connection and empowerment,' the report said. People tend to prefer in-person activities for this kind of engagement. However, resource limitations and short-term funding often make it harder to build momentum, trust and include everyone. To expand climate-related projects to more communities will require long-term and flexible funding to meet different needs, it said. Having long-term funding will also mitigate against staff turnover and resource shortages. The initiatives surveyed for the study included efforts to transform food waste into sustainable food systems in the community, and coastal adaptation training in areas vulnerable to rising sea levels. Homeworks, a partnership between the National LGBT Foundation and the Common Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Living, saw the development of a toolkit to pool together knowledge on climate solutions at a community level. It has seen the creation of eight community garden projects, a green energy and solar education programme in the North West, and a biodiversity education and bat preservation walk in Clare. For Bohemians FC, they partnered with local groups in the Dublin 7 area, including Connecting Cabra and Mountjoy Prison, to support older people to access home retrofits, and engaged asylum seekers and refugees to deliver green skills training in areas such as bike maintenance and renewable energy. 'We have worked closely with the projects supporting them to adapt and develop in response to the real needs of the communities, especially those most marginalised, to ensure the trainings and resources created are relevant and impactful,' Pobal chief executive Anna Shakespeare said. 'The research provides valuable insights into how bottom-up, community climate action can be fostered and sustained and can inform future programmes, enabling progress on both social inclusion and net zero, simultaneously.'
Irish Independent
23-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Irish public feels ‘more despair than hope' about climate change, new research reveals
People expressed a growing worry about climate change but also a strong sense of powerlessness to do anything. A greater proportion said they felt despair than said they felt hope and just one in seven believed the Government had a clear climate action plan that co-ordinated action between the State, business and people. The research shows that people want to be more involved in climate action and recommends that 'community climate hubs' are set up to pool ideas. The findings come from the fourth round of the annual Climate Conversations consultation exercise undertaken by the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment. Just under 2,000 people responded, expressing their concerns around climate change and their role in responding to it. The overwhelming majority, 90pc, said they were worried about climate change, 71pc being 'very worried'. Extreme weather events and global insecurity due to migration and food shortages were the main impacts feared. When asked about their emotional response to the issue, frustration was the dominant feeling, reported by 67pc. Worry came next, reported by 54pc, followed by powerlessness, at 51pc. Anger, sadness and anxiety were also reported. A small proportion, 6pc, reported feeling apathetic and 9pc were resigned to the issue, while 12pc reported feeling confused and 11pc felt sceptical. Of those involved in community organisations, 54pc said there was some element of climate action to their participation. ADVERTISEMENT Litter and waste management were the main activities, reported by 31pc, followed by active travel and sustainable transport, 29pc, and land use or forestry initiatives, 26pc. Among those not involved in any form of community climate action, a majority said they would like to do something. Growing food in community gardens was the most popular suggestion, getting a positive response from 60pc, followed by active and sustainable mobility initiatives, 58pc, and repair and reuse projects, 52pc. The report found misconceptions around the impact of certain climate action measures with people undervaluing the emissions reductions in switching to electric vehicles, installing heat pumps and reducing meat consumption. They tended to overstate the impact of recycling, reducing food waste and flying. Climate minister Darragh O'Brien said the report provided the Government with a great understanding of the issues on the public's mind when it came to climate action. However, the report notes that while views were gathered at various events, those who responded online tended to be more engaged with the topic than the general public and were also more likely to be urban dwellers, well-educated and more affluent. The Climate Conversations 2025 consultation opens today and will accept submissions for the next 12 weeks.
RTÉ News
23-06-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Respondents express 'powerlessness' during climate survey
Frustration, worry and powerlessness are the three most commonly felt emotions by respondents to a survey about climate change. The Climate Conversations 2025 report is based on 1,949 responses to a Government consultation. Only one in seven of those who filled in the survey believe the Government is delivering a clear plan for climate action. The number of people who responded to this latest round of Climate Conversations in 2024 is down about 50% from the previous year. The Department of Climate, Energy and Environment says its findings "should not be considered as reflective of the wider general population," but it does give a snapshot of what people in Ireland who are engaged with climate change believe. The percentage of those who are very worried or somewhat worried about climate change has increased by three points to 90%. Concern is particularly high amongst women and people living in urban areas. The belief that climate change is extremely, very or somewhat important is also more widely shared, up by three percentage points to 91%. Perceptions of who is most responsible for delivering climate action have not changed much with around three quarters of responses listing the Government, business and industry and the European Union. The percentage of those who believe they are doing more than other individuals on climate action has increased from 52% to 61%, but the share of those who say they should more also grew from, from 72% to 76%. Perceptions of what actions people could take to reduce their own carbon emissions also shifted. The change most widely perceived to be most effective was reducing the number of flights taken which topped the rankings, up from 31% in 2023 to 38% last year. This was followed by retrofitting at 28% and installing solar panels or a wind turbine. The report says "overall, transport-related activities received more nominations this year, with reducing flights and using public transport increasing significantly. However, switching to or buying an EV decreased significantly, possibly a reflection of mixed messaging received from the media." The consultation also asked people about their involvement in community organisations and activities and the report says the responses "highlighted the benefits and challenges of building capacity for climate action at a community level. Harnessing the power of existing communities of place and interest in tandem with one another represents an efficient means to accelerate action across communities." It also warns that "the further decline in perceptions of the benefit of Electric Vehicles on emissions highlights one of the more significant perception-reality gaps amongst this population. "Despite evidence to the contrary, the population vastly underestimate the benefits of Electric Vehicles," it added and it recommends that work needs to be done on this alongside continuing education on the benefits of public transport and active travel.
Irish Independent
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Impact of coastal erosion on Wexford beaches raised in the Dáil – ‘Courtown and Kilmichael are in serious danger'
Coastal erosion in Courtown beach in Gorey has had a significant effect with lifeguards moving northwards to cater for the crowd concentrations. 'Up to 25 per cent of Ireland's coastline is facing the serious problem of coastal erosion and the proportion in counties Wicklow and Wexford is higher. The Taoiseach will be aware that I represent an area that stretches from Brittas Bay to Morriscastle. We have some of the finest beaches in the country, but many of them, most notably Courtown and Kilmichael, are in serious danger,' he explained. "We need to look at addressing this from a climate point of view and at beach replenishment. There is the threat to adjoining lands and infrastructure, nesting areas and coastal biodiversity. We can learn from other countries such as the Netherlands.' Beach replenishment is a common practice in the Netherlands, and involves adding sand to the beaches and the seabed to counteract erosion. A popular method is the sand motor, which involves depositing a large amount of sand offshore, allowing natural forces like waves, wind, and currents to redistribute the sand over time. 'Of concern to me as well is that the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment's own statistics show that, between 2017 and 2024, the number of homes at risk in our coastal areas grew from 1,445 to 2,279. I ask that this issue be a priority,' he added. Taoiseach Micheál Martin agreed that the situation was an important issue, following on after his attendance at the UN Ocean Summit in France recently. "Ireland is increasingly making a significant contribution to the international debate on the oceans. Regarding coastal erosion, I invite the Deputy to make a submission to the Minister for public expenditure.' He highlighted the climate change crisis and how the erosion of coasts will have a domino affect on food production if not addressed promptly. "Climate change is here and now; it is not something that is going to come in ten years' time. It is affecting flooding. It is eroding coastlines. It is putting homes in danger. It is affecting food production patterns and so on. I believe that, in the next national development plan, there has to be ring-fenced funding for the cost of climate change to enable us to adapt to protect,' he said.
