Opinion: it is important to look at what can be done at a local level within communities to decarbonise society and champion sustainability
In January, the World Economic Forum met for their annual conference in Davos, with climate change once again taking on a central role in the discussions. At a global level, the issues surrounding the necessity for urgent action on climate change can often be disassociating at the local level, particularly in light of close to 1,500 private jets descending upon the alpine town for the week.
Throughout the four days of events, world leaders such as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte outlined their plans for urgent action. Environmental activists like 92 year-old David Attenborough and 16 year-old Greta Thunberg both made their own impassioned pleas demanding immediate action, aligning with The Global Risk Report 2019 which highlighted failure to act on climate change as one of the most severe dangers to the planet.
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But while the World Economic Forum conference provides context to the international landscape, it is also important to look closer to home to see what is being done at a local level. A strong emphasis has developed through recent policy announcements such as the climate action priority of Project Ireland 2040, which viewed "communities as a central part of the low carbon transition". Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton, has been quick to acknowledge the need for urgent action to meet Ireland climate targets for both 2020 and 2030.
Through a recent EPA funded research project in UCC’s Environmental Research Institute, a number of community groups and organisations were asked about their ideas on climate action and sustainability. This research highlighted the important role which different community groups can play in generating engagement on issues of climate action, irrespective of any previous links to environmentalism.
Taking Co Cork as an example, great work is being done by groups such as Cork Environmental Forum, Transition Town Kinsale and Cork Nature Network, to name just a few. Parallel to this, other community groups such as sports clubs and Tidy Towns are acting outside their primary remit to offer solutions and contribute positively to the environmental challenges faced.
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I spoke with Carrigtwohill Tidy Towns, the group which recently scored highest of any Tidy Towns group in Cork within the category of sustainability for 2018. As a category which has only been established over the last five years, participants often find it difficult to comprehend what is being asked of them.
However, Margaret from Carrigtwohill Tidy Towns sees it as aligned with the ethos of the competition. "I have always been interested in the environment...Tidy Towns was a way to get new people in the community involved and get people proud of their area and support community", she said
The main focus of her work with Tidy Towns is on raising awareness. "As a community group we can raise awareness and we can open it up to people because people are very willing but there isn't enough information and it is difficult to get it"
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This touches back to the issue raised in Davos by Thunberg and Attenborough: a call to arms for governments to show strong leadership, by putting information around these issues at the forefront of policy discussions and highlighting their importance to the public. In absence of such a discourse, Margaret and the rest of the Carrigtwohill Tidy Towns group have been raising awareness across a range of topics from water conservation and upcycling/recycling to encouraging the use of public transport in the area.
Another Cork based initiative is the action by Kinsale Tennis Club to run a Green Tennis Open earlier this year. Working with Plastic Free Kinsale and Transition Town Kinsale, the Open committee decided to ‘Go Green’ with a focus on areas such as energy, food and recycling and managed 99% successful recycling during the tennis open.
Rhea Monkhouse, who organises the Open, referenced the importance of "playing our part": "the basis for our approach was one of ‘any small change matters’. We didn’t try to fix the world in the open but just open the eyes of our attendees during the week to possible changes that could be made in their lives"
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Elizabeth Creed, a member of the club and a volunteer with Transition Town Kinsale, emphasised the value of working on sustainability issues in a group setting. "Alongside the tennis, there were lots of conversations over the week about what it means to be ‘green’ and it is these conversations, with each other, that will help bring about the climate action we urgently need." The group plans to take learning from this year’s event and built upon it next year.
Piluca Garcia, one of the Green Team for the Open, offered some advice for other community groups looking to embed sustainability into their main purpose. "People are willing to be part of a change for the better of the environment, so try it out with small steps".
It's crucial to highlight the responsibility of global leaders such as those in Davos to show strong commitments to decarbonising society and championing sustainability. But it is important not to lose sight of what can be done at a local level within communities as we endeavour to transition to a sustainable future.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
