Donegal’s Decarbonising Journey

Is your community interested in:

• Becoming a resilient, vibrant and sustainable community?
• Reducing its carbon emissions and energy use?
• Working well together?

If so, Donegal County Council invites you to register your interest in joining Donegal’s Decarbonising Journey.

Under the Climate Action Plan 2019 each Local Authority is required to identify a Decarbonising Zone (DZ).

Donegal County Council is working to identify a suitable DZ that will become an exemplar for the rest of the county to develop pathways and learnings to share with other communities countywide. This will consist of “very important test-beds” which will allow the Council to understand the scale of the challenge in decarbonising the county, including the economy and wider society, and to map out the various key stakeholders and enablers. There will also be opportunities to explore the co-benefits of climate adaptation, and to examine a range of local measures such as climate proofing, afforestation, green and blue infrastructure, reducing heat island effects, citizen awareness and behavioural change. Decarbonising Donegal will include wider benefits such as air quality, improved health, biodiversity, embodied carbon, lower noise levels, waste, water, and circular economy.

A whole of community approach is required to achieve the goals of the DZ, and the national and EU goals of Ireland becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Donegal County Council will work with the DZ and communities countywide to reach these targets through:

• Providing guidance and leadership
• Helping identify and apply for funding e.g. Climate Action Fund, Ireland 2040, Community energy grants
• Developing partnerships with relevant bodies e.g. Academia, Government bodies, SEAI etc.
• Identifying a DZ in Donegal to be submitted to the Department of Local Government, Housing and Heritage by Q2 2021
• Developing the 2030 implementation plan to be submitted to Department of Local Government, Housing and Heritage by Q4 2021
• Assisting communities in developing decarbonisation actions countywide
• Promoting the establishment and development of Sustainable Energy Communities
• Supporting the establishment and development of Rivers Trusts.

The practical experience and knowledge gained from the initial demonstrator project(s) will accelerate learning throughout the county and inform and enable future decarbonisation initiatives at a replicable scale.

We encourage communities to submit information by 21^st May 2021 to inform the identification of the DZ as set out above. Details captured there after will form part of the growing climate action network in Donegal for ongoing engagement on our decarbonisation journey.

Communities that are interested are requested to submit information on your group / areas of interest with name, contact details and any climate action / decarbonising initiatives or projects completed, ongoing, planned or being developed by sending the completed form to [email protected]

Donegal’s Decarbonising Journey Community Form

https://westerndevelopment.ie/insights/making-the-transition-to-a-low-carbon-society-in-the-western-region-2/

Turas Dícharbónaithe do Dhún na nGall

An bhfuil suim ag do phobal...:

• a bheith ina phobal acmhainneach, bríomhar agus inbhuanaithe?
• astaíochtaí carbóin agus úsáid fuinnimh a laghdú?
• a bheith ag obair go maith le chéile?

Má tá, ba mhaith le Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall sibh bhur spéis a léiriú chun bheith páirteach i dTuras Dícharbónaithe Dhún na nGall.

Faoin Phlean Gníomhaithe ar son na hAeráide 2019, tá dualgas ar gach Údarás Áitiúil Zón Dícharbónaithe (ZD) a aithint.

Tá Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall ag obair leis na Comhaltaí Tofa le ZD fóirsteanach a aithint, zón a bheas ina dhea-shampla don chuid eile den chontae chun múnlaí, modhanna agus taithí a chomhroinnt le pobail eile ar fud an chontae. Beidh ‘láithreacha tábhachtacha tástála’ mar chuid de seo, rud a ligfidh don Chomhairle méid an dúshláin a bhaineann le dícharbónú an gheilleagair agus na sochaí i gcoitinne a thuigbheáil, agus na príomhpháirtithe leasmhara agus na príomhchumasóirí a leagan amach.

Mar sin féin, beidh deiseanna ann fosta chun na comh-bhuntáistí a bhaineann le hoiriúnú aeráide a scrúdú, agus réimse tograí áitiúla a scrúdú fosta amhail profú aeráide, foraoisiú, bonneagar glas agus gorm, iarmhairtí teasoileáin a laghdú, feasacht an phobail agus athrú iompair. Beidh buntáistí breise ag baint le dícharbónú Dhún na nGall fosta, amhail cáilíocht an aeir, sláinte níos fearr, bithéagsúlacht, carbón corpraithe, laghdú ar leibhéil challáin, dramhaíl, uisce, geilleagar ciorclach etc.

Tá gá le cur chuige uile-phobail le spriocanna an ZD agus spriocanna náisiúnta agus AE in Éirinn a bhaint amach, is é sin, go mbeadh an tír carbón-neodrach faoin bhliain 2050. Oibreoidh Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall i gcomhar leis an ZD agus le pobail ar fud an chontae leis na spriocanna seo a bhaint amach trí:

• treoir agus ceannaireacht a sholáthar.
• Cuidiú le maoiniú a aithint agus cur isteach air, eg. An Ciste ar son Gníomhú Aeráide, Éire 2040, deontais fuinnimh phobail.
• Comhpháirtíochtaí a fhorbairt le heagrais chuí eg. Acadúil, rialtais, SEAI etc.
• ZD a aithint i nDún na nGall lena chur isteach chuig an Roinn Rialtais Áitiúil, Tithíochta agus Oidhreachta faoin dara ceathrú de 2021.  
• Plean Feidhmithe 2030 a fhorbairt leis an phobal ZD (le cur isteach chuig an Roinn Rialtais Áitiúil, Tithíochta agus Oidhreachta faoin ráithe dheireanach de 2021).
• Ag cuidiú le pobail chun gníomhartha dícharbónaithe a fhorbairt ar fud an chontae.
• Bunú agus forbairt Phobail Inbhuanaithe Fuinnimh a chur chun cinn.
• Tacú le bunú agus forbairt Iontaobhais Aibhneacha.

An taithí phraiticiúil agus an t-eolas a gheofar ón togra trialach, cuirfidh sin dlús leis an fhoghlaim ar fud an chontae, agus cuideoidh sé le bonn eolais a chur faoi thograí breise dícharbónaithe ar scála inathchruthaithe.

Iarrann muid ar phobail eolas a chur isteach faoin 21 Bealtaine 2021 le go mbeidh an t-eolas cuí againn chun an ZD, mar atá leagtha amach thuas, a aithint. Sonraí agus eolas a bhaileofar uaidh sin ar aghaidh, beidh sin mar chuid den ghréasán ar son gníomhú aeráide i nDún na nGall agus muid ag obair le chéile ar ár dturas i dtreo an dícharbónaithe.

Pobal ar bith ar suim leo a bheith páirteach, iarrtar orthu eolas a chur isteach faoina ngrúpa agus faoina spéiseanna, chomh maith le hainm, sonraí teagmhála agus eolas faoi aon togra ar son gníomhú aeráide / dícharbónaithe atá atá curtha i gcrích, ar siúl, beartaithe nó á fhorbairt, agus sin a dhéanamh tríd an fhoirm chomhlánaithe a chur chuig:  [email protected]

Turas Dícharbónaithe do Dhún na nGall_Foirm 

https://westerndevelopment.ie/insights/making-the-transition-to-a-low-carbon-society-in-the-western-region-2/