A Climate Action Delivery Board has been established to drive the implementation of the Government’s Climate Action Plan, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton has announced.
The Climate Action Plan led by Minister Bruton sets out over 180 actions, together with hundreds of sub-actions, to ensure Ireland is responding to the climate challenge, securing a more resilient and sustainable future in a zero carbon world.
Delivery board
The Climate Action Delivery Board, being convened today, Tuesday, July 16, will oversee the delivery of all actions in the plan and will meet regularly to hold each department and public body to account for their responsibilities in the plan.
The board is chaired jointly by the secretary general to the Government and the secretary general of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment to “ensure a coordinated and collaborative approach to delivery” of the plan across Government.
- Department of the Taoiseach;
- Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment;
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine;
- Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation;
- Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht;
- Department of Education and Skills;
- Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection;
- Department of Finance;
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade;
- Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government;
- Department of Public Expenditure and Reform;
- Department of Rural and Community Development; and
- Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
It will be required to present a delivery report to the Cabinet Committee and the Cabinet, which will be published on a quarterly basis.
The board will also discuss and review key strategic projects and areas of work, such as establishing a new model for retrofitting, to identify barriers, challenges, and key lessons to date.
Commenting, Minister Bruton said: “For the first time ever, we have a plan with actions across every sector, which will ensure we meet our climate commitments. However, the key to delivering on our ambition is implementation.
“The establishment of the board within the Department of the Taoiseach firmly puts climate policy at the centre of Government.
It will ensure that each department and public body is held fully accountable to delivering on the actions required to enable Ireland achieve its 2030 climate target and put us on a trajectory to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“This is the same model we used for the Action Plan for Jobs and it proved extremely effective,” the minister concluded.
New governance arrangements
The establishment of the board is the first in a series of new governance arrangements set out in the Climate Action Plan, according to the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment.
These also include carbon-proofing policies, the establishment of carbon budgets, a strengthened Climate Change Advisory Council and greater accountability to the Oireachtas.