Consortium in city to review climate plan
Cork city’s plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030 will be discussed this week during a visit from two representatives of the NetZeroCities consortium.
The representitives, Maria Giorda and Alvar Gener, will meet with members of Cork’s Climate Action Committee and Directors of Service at Cork City Council.
They will mainly be discussing the city’s plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030, the central goal of the city’s membership of the EU Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities.
During their time on Leeside, the consortium representatives will also be viewing sites for flagship low carbon development on the North and South Docks and the ongoing public realm and flood relief works on Morrison’s Island among other projects.
Director of Services at Cork City Council, David Joyce, said: “Storm Darragh reminded us again that climate action has never been more important to the future safety and resilience of our city.”
Mr Joyce added: “We welcome the challenge the mission presents to reduce carbon emission as quickly as possible. We will avail of all the support from Europe that we can.”
Ms Giorda is the Net Zero Cities City Advisor for Cork and is supporting the city to access technical and policy assistance from the NetZeroCities consortium.
She said: “Cork city’s plan is a strong example of how the commitment to change will lead to tangible future benefits for the city’s health and well-being.
“The Net Zero Cities Consortium will support Cork’s journey to a sustainable future as best we can,” Ms Giorda concluded.
As the City Finance Specialist for Cork and Dublin, Alvar Gener is assisting Cork city to secure support from the EU Mission’s Capital Hub.
Mr Gener said: “The investment needed to achieve a sustainable, net zero emissions future is a tremendous opportunity to create many well-paid green economy jobs and to ensure that Cork remains a preferred destination for inward investment in Europe.”
Ahead of the visit, Conor Healy, Cork Chamber CEO, said that partnership and collaboration will remain central to forging the changes required to ensure a sustainable future for Cork.
He explained: “As a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) champion, Cork Chamber is deeply committed to sustainability, embedding it within all our activities and initiatives. This is essential to securing Cork’s continued growth and prosperity.”
He added: “The support from the European Union is very welcome and will help to develop and finance innovative new projects for the city Cork’s business community is committed to achieving the transition to a low-carbon economy.”
The NetZeroCities consortium is a collection of partners spanning research organisations, consultancies, associations think-tanks and universities with wide ranging expertise in climate innovation and the environment.