National Dialogue on Climate Action (NDCA)

The 2020 Program for Government (PfG)committed Ireland to becoming a net zero and climate neutral economy by no later than 2050. The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021 set this ambition in legislation and the Climate Action Plan 2021 defining a pathway to achieve this.

For Ireland to make this transition, we need to make changes in our society and economy, and a collaborative effort is required by government, business, communities, and individuals. Government and the public sector must lead by example, however delivering on this ambition is the responsibility of everyone in society.

The National Dialogue on Climate Action (NDCA) will be the primary vehicle through which this will be realised, delivering a systematic means of actively engaging stakeholders and the public with climate action across Ireland enabling and empowering people at a local and national level.

The NDCA programme will be delivered through three main pillars:

• Improving climate literacy by creating awareness about, and promoting understanding of, climate change through communications and education
• Funding, supporting, and enabling active engagement in climate action at a local and national level, conducting public consultations, and empowering the public to adopt more sustainable behaviours
• Capturing insights from engagement activities and conducting social and behavioural research to inform the Climate Action Plan and climate policies

The Climate Conversations are annual consultation and engagement processes. We engage with the public and stakeholders through a range of surveys, interviews and focus groups to find out what climate issues are most important to people and groups. The information we receive through the Climate Conversations has a direct impact on the development of the Climate Action Plans.

The National Climate Stakeholder Forum (NCSF) was established by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to function as a consultative forum on climate issues. The NCSF will meet three times each year, with administrative support being provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Climate Action Plan 2021 is a detailed plan for achieving a climate-neutral economy and included a commitment to establish a Youth Climate Assembly. The first annual National Youth Assembly on Climate was held on 2 March 2022 and was a joint initiative led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) under the National Dialogue on Climate Action (NDCA).

The Assembly convened online and was opened by Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. It was hosted by three members of the Youth Advisory Group and 38 young people attended, including 29 sitting National Youth Assembly of Ireland members. The delegates were nominated by organisations, including Comhairle na nÓg, student bodies and community groups.

Four workshops were held, each focusing on the areas of greatest concern to young people. The delegates presented their recommendations directly to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, followed by a detailed discussion on four key priority areas:

• Community Engagement
• Transport
• Just Transition
• Government Policy

These recommendations will now be used to inform sectoral policies and the Climate Action Plan 2022. Four delegates from the National Youth Assembly on Climate also went on to participate in the National Climate Stakeholder Forum (NCSF) held in March.

A comprehensive programme of engagement activities and research was delivered under the NDCA in 2022. As per of our commitment to continuous improvement of our processes and transparency in decision making under the Climate Action Plan, we have made available the NDCA Monitoring & Evaluation Report 2022. The insights gained from evaluation of the NDCA programme in 2022 has informed the new NDCA Programme in 2023 and is reflected in the Chapter 9: Citizen Engagement in the Climate Action Plan 2023 and the accompanying Annex of Actions.

The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment has launched a Sustainable Sports Programme to help sports National Governing Bodies (NGBs) adopt environmentally sustainable actions across their organisations. The programme includes a toolkit for clubs, and the provision of training to NGBs, so that they can empower their clubs to act at grassroots level in the areas of biodiversity, water, energy and travel. The Sustainable Sports Programme recognises that each club and organisation is unique and is suitable for all sports regardless of size, activity, facilities or means.

The Toolkit was developed as part of the National Dialogue on Climate Action (NDCA). It followed consultation with sporting bodies including the GAA, IRFU, FAI, Athletics Ireland, Golf Ireland, Tennis Ireland and drew on learnings from initiatives such as the GAA’s Green Clubs programme. After completing the three module course, participants will be the contact point for using the Toolkit in their organisations. They will get an understanding of the Toolkit and its potential for taking climate action in the areas of energy, water, biodiversity and travel, and also learn how to develop a draft action plan for successfully introducing these actions into their clubs and grassroots organisation.

Funding for NGBs to take part in the training is provided by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment and if your sports body would like to take part contact ndca@dcee.gov.ie

Other Resources

Here is a link to a survey that can be downloaded and edited for your club https://forms.office.com/e/DNRWA49J68

Here is a file that clubs can download to track their sustainability actions.