Kildare spends 20 times more on roads than climate action
'We owe it to our children and grandchildren to show leadership'
Kildare County Council is spending 20 times as much on roads as climate action.
The stark figure was released by Green Party councillors Peter Hamilton (Maynooth) and Bob Quinn (Naas).
This is despite the fact that the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis “make up the greatest existential threat facing us and our way of life.”
“This summer big challenges all over the world and closer to home in Cork, Galway and Newry have made it clear that dangerous changes are taking place. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to show leadership and take this very seriously,” they said in a joint statement.
Cllr Peter Hamilton said: “As a progressive county in a highly developed modern country, we carry a huge responsibility to play our part in addressing this global challenge.”
Since 2019 Kildare County Council have come a long way in increasing focus, securing resources and putting in place funding to address this crisis.
“ We welcome the establishment of a strong new climate action team of five people in Kildare County Council under Paula O’Rourke and Director Marian Higgins.”
Some €44 million will be spent on local and regional road improvement and maintenance in 2024.
Cllr Quinn said: “We are still only on the starting blocks in relation to where we need to get for our 2023 and 2050 targets. We need to get fully behind this challenge and rally as much national and European Commission support as we can.”
There have been many positive green shoots since KCC engaged with climate action.
The Eastern & Midlands CARO (Climate Action Regional Office) hosted by KCC in Naas provides policy support and guidance to seventeen counties.
A well prepared and ambitious climate action plan will be approved before the end of the year and has been recognised as one of the best in the country.
Maynooth has been selected as Kildare’s pathfinder decarbonising zone in this plan and KCC will complete the energy retrofit of 200 social houses next year.
They welcome additions to the council net zero vehicle fleet and Teagasc is driving positive changes in agriculture in the county with education programmes focused on significant reductions in fertiliser use, clover as natural fertiliser and better protection of nature and river basins on farms.
“But this just sets us up to begin to address the enormous challenge we face. We are still waiting for our public lighting upgrade to LED now planned for 2024. This was first raised by the Green Party in 2019. Our communities still need enormous guidance and practical support for household energy retrofits. Many of our active travel pedestrian and cycleway projects are still literally stuck in the mud with the effects of inflation, tendering delays and insufficient budget meaning they are progressing far too slowly.”
Cllr Hamiton added: “We now have a good climate action plan written down, but we now need to turn it into decisive actions and make the serious changes needed. We want KCC, the public and the business community to show full resolve and determination to continue to make progress.”