Connecting Kilkenny to climate resilience
We have to take urgent action to achieve Ireland’s carbon targets on time and improve biodiversity in our city and county.
The seriousness of the climate crisis is clear. Thankfully a network of policies, targets and acts are shaping a pathway into the future for us all; Ireland’s obligations are laid out in law.
Ireland’s Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 is clear that we have to reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030, ensuring that we reach zero emissions by no later than 2050. Kilkenny has to play its part to help meet this very ambitious target.
The National Climate Action Plan 2023 reminds us that 9 out 10 people in Ireland are worried about climate change. But to reach our targets and change our behaviour, Ireland needs support from every sector of society. Consequently Kilkenny County Council is taking the lead on climate action and engaging with stakeholders to develop our own Climate Action Plan to help deliver on climate targets at a local level.
Flood Defences
Canoeing, swimming, Kilkenny’s rivers are an essential part of life for many communities, but in recent years the threat of flooding
has become real.
Working with the Office of Public Works and Carlow County Council, Kilkenny County Council is leading on an investment of over €9m in a Flood Defence Plan for Rivers Duiske and Barrow that works from everyone’s point of view.
This is just one of six flood defence plans in the making with Ballyhale also underway and Freshford, Inistioge, Piltown and Thomastown following in future years. The overall investment is over €29 million and once completed, will provide flood protection to over 360 properties in Kilkenny.
From landfill to beloved landscape.
A new 17 acre Kilkenny Biodiversity and Recreation Countryside Park is in the making. Situated on what was once the Dunmore Municipal Landfill site, these significant plans are indicative of Kilkenny County Council’s commitment to safeguarding our natural world by restoring and protecting important green spaces for the long term.
Kilkenny County Council has already carried out a Habitat and Pollinator Assessment on the area to further enhance its biodiversity. In addition to protecting the existing habitats and shaping a landscape management plan, there will be trails for walking and cycling, including a Fitness Trail and Biodiversity Trail, a hurling wall and an enclosed dog friendly area.
Kilkenny’s Decarbonisation Zone
Every local authority in Ireland has been asked to identify a Decarbonisation Zone or a test ground where we will implement a number of carbon reduction measures to see how much of an impact they will have.
Our first task is to establish a baseline for emissions, then we can take action and keep measuring to ensure we are on the right path. Our actions will include things like improving the energy efficiency of homes and giving people more access to renewable energy and sustainable travel options.
Pollinator Programme 2022
Our desire to control and constrain the growth of the natural world is having a negative impact on insects of all kinds. To try to reframe what makes green spaces beautiful, Kilkenny County Council has been working with a number of key groups to change mindsets and make a serious difference. We have signed up to the All Ireland Pollinator Plan to apply structure and visibility to these important actions.
From pollinator educational packs, webinars and the successful Pledge Your Garden campaign, to the planting of trees, wildflowers and by simply allowing plants to grow on roundabouts, we are shifting mindsets and making good progress in transforming Kilkenny into a biodiverse city and county.
Under the Boardwalk
The replacement of rotten timber boards with 100% recycled plastic boards in Silaire Wood in Graiguenamanagh has helped to transform this stunning walkway. Everyone has been delighted with the positive attention Silaire Wood has been getting from journalists to visitors alike. Kilkenny County Council is planning to use the same recycled plastic boards in the Lacken Walk, replacing the timber boards on the Ossory Bridge by summer 2024.
Energy
In 2021, Kilkenny County Council achieved the gold standard for their energy consumption with the ISO 50001 accreditation. We track the county’s energy consumption, we set energy consumption targets and audit our performance.
We have implemented a number of large scale energy efficiency initiatives like the Public Lighting Energy Efficiency Project where we are retrofitting 11,500 street lamps across the county with LED lights.
Acting as lead authority for the Eastern Region, Kilkenny County Council will manage the public lighting project for 8 other counties.
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Wind Farm
To produce its share of Ireland’s renewable energy targets, Kilkenny has to be self-sufficient in energy production by 2030; meaning the county as a whole needs to rapidly increase the solar and wind energy we produce. The conundrum is that wind farms are controversial and a large majority of residents currently oppose them. The only way forward is to keep talking, consulting and researching in order to find a path ahead that balances the needs of everyone and works for Kilkenny as a whole.
Environmental Action
Humans are drawn to trees. It’s in our nature to want to be near them, to shelter under them, to live by them, to walk through them. That’s why Kilkenny has a tree strategy in place. This strategic programme is designed to increase tree canopy cover in suitable urban areas, making these areas more inviting for people and also, vitally, increasing the biodiversity value of neighbourhoods.
Local Biodiversity
Local communities are usually the instigators of real action. It’s our intention to formulate Local Biodiversity Action Plans with community groups. These action plans will help everyone understand the ecological wealth of where they live and establish actions to protect the most valuable local habitats. They will also help to create a list of actions to make those areas lacking in biodiversity more ecologically valuable, more pleasant for local residents and visitors and more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
We feel calmer and more reflective around water.
Thanks to our Three Sisters (the Rivers Nore, Barrow and Suir), our network of mature trees, our birds and wetlands, Kilkenny has an abundance of rich natural character which when cared for properly can easily become a valuable habitat for a range of species of plants and animals.
With protection and enhancement as our primary objectives, Kilkenny County Council has audited our Swift Nesting Sites and our wetlands. We have surveyed our mature trees and have policies in place to protect our trees and hedgerows.
We have made Food Waste Kits and Home Energy Kits available to households this year and we are continuing to put effort into our Team Up to Clean Up initiatives, proving that Kilkenny can work together to put the climate first.
Kilkenny’s 'green infrastructure' is basically the green (plants) and blue (water) features that enhance and connect our built environments.
Kilkenny County Council is mapping our green infrastructure, so we can monitor, enhance and protect it, thereby improving biodiversity, combating habitat fragmentation, filtering pollutants and improving air and water quality.
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