Matching our climate ambition with climate action

Our Local Enterprise Office serves the city and county very well in bringing on new businesses and supporting existing ones. I would like to see their remit expanded, along with the necessary resourcing, to incorporate climate action into every single support plan for businesses. The LEO specifically supports our smaller local enterprises, but every one of these has a climate impact, and every one of these has the potential, with the right help, to reduce that impact.

Waterford City and County Council has already been innovative in the use of the business rates as a financial tool to influence local enterprises. Incentivising climate education and climate action through rates reductions has a financial cost, but at a time when many businesses are struggling, this type of action benefits businesses on the double.
The message needs to go out to local businesses, large and small, that climate action is not a cost, but an opportunity. As the economy moves towards a more circular model, the businesses which are adapting to this will be more resilient and will be better positioned to thrive.
I noted from the graph of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that some sectors contribute significantly more than others. While it is tempting to prioritise action in these sectors, we must not lose sight of the extent of the climate challenge which we are facing. To reach the ambitious, and necessary, reduction targets, every business in every sector must evolve and adapt.
I would like to see the need for climate action, and the benefits of it, being communicated to businesses, and their customers in innovative ways. Case studies, essentially stories of how a business has behaved, can connect with people on a personal level. Sharing stories of how local enterprises, big and small, are taking action can add to everyone’s understanding of the solutions, and generate pride in the fact that our local businesses are doing what they can for all of our futures. I would go beyond award ceremonies and instead look for ways to celebrate these successes in the public eye. Through social media, temporary signage on council vehicles, projections onto the Ardree or whatever let’s share these stories and build the narrative that Waterford is leading on climate action in businesses.

GHG emissions related to agriculture have been allocated the lowest reduction target of any sector in the governments Climate Action Plan. I would like to see Waterford show that these targets can be exceeded, while at the same time improving the quality of our ecosystems, and the livelihoods of our farming families.
As a council, we have no direct responsibility for farming itself, but we have responsibility for our environment and for our communities. Water quality issues, related to farm runoff, should be highlighted and corrective action taken by the farmers or facilities, with the support of relevant bodies.
We already have examples of innovative approaches by farmers in the county, such as the Comeragh Upland Communities EIP Project, which is bringing farmers and ecologists together and looking at solutions which benefit everyone. I would like to see the council actively seek out other groups or communities, and signpost them to the support and funding agencies which could lead to more examples of best practice being worked on in our county.
One area where the council can influence agriculture is by our procurement processes. Can we incorporate some measurement of carbon footprint or GHG emissions into any food purchases for events?

The council’s responsibilities in relation to Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protected Areas puts us in a position to ensure full protection of our wetlands. In Waterford, we could do this and more. The regeneration of degraded wetlands may become a requirement of EU directives, but we don’t have to wait for these. Proactively setting about the recovery of our wetlands contributes to our climate actions, but also builds the resilience of our ecosystems which in turn supports sustainable farming. At a time when we are facing rising tides and more extreme weather, including more flooding and more droughts, the many roles of our wetlands become ever more important.
I would like us to include Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) where appropriate in future projects.