The event programme and online registration have opened for Dublin’s first Climate Action Week (DCAW21), taking place from September 13-19, 2021.

A range of online and in-person climate action events are now open for registration at www.dublinclimateactionweek.ie. The broad range of events address the theme areas of Energy and buildings; Transport; Flood Resilience; Nature Based Solutions; Resource Management and Citizen Engagement.

The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Climate Change 2021 Report, categorically underlines the need for urgent action on climate change by all sectors of society. 

One of the highlights of the DCAW21 Programme includes a Climate Action Panel Discussion with the chief executives of the four Dublin local authorities, taking place online on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at 10am. 

Water and the city

Also a 'Water and the City, coordinated by Chartered Engineer and Engineers Ireland Fellow Gerry O'Connell and which will also include Adrian Conway on the panel, will take place on September 14 at 1pm.

Water, you can't live without it. The city grew economically and socially because of its relationship with water. How can something so simple go unnoticed until it's too late. Meet our team of water experts who work to make sure you have clean water to drink, cook and grow with. Find out about how we are building resilience to flooding, maintaining the health of the water bodies we are dependent on, and using sustainable urban drainage systems in the public realm. 

  1. Gerry O’Connell, Fellow CEng, MIEI. Senior engineer, Water Framework Directive Office 
  2. Roy O’Connor, senior executive engineer, Water Pollution Control 
  3. Dr. Neil Higgins, senior executive engineer, Drainage Division 
  4. Joseph Craig, senior executive engineer, Water & Drainage 
  5. David Grant, project resident engineer 

Moderator: Dr. Niamh Shaw, Irish engineer, scientist, writer and performer, recently voted one of Ireland’s leading science communicators and STEAM specialists. 

Outdoor climate film screenings

A number of online film screenings are planned, and outdoor climate film screenings will take place at venues across Dublin. There are also a range of family events, including workshops for children and guided walks in public parks.

The cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the mayors of South Dublin County Council and Fingal County Council, and the lord mayor of Dublin City Council, have jointly stated in the online Programme Promotional Video: "The Dublin Region is acting on climate change causes and impacts, and we are making positive changes.

"We’ve organised Dublin's first ever Climate Action Week, to showcase our climate action progress to the people of Dublin and elsewhere. We’ve launched an exciting programme of events across a range of themes. There is something for everyone.

"You can register for these events on our Dublin Climate Action Week website www.dublinclimateactionweek.ie. We invite you to join us. Discover more about acting on climate change so we are all Taking Action, Together."

You can watch the DCAW21 Programme Promotional Video at: https://bit.ly/ClimateActionWeek21

The week is being organised and delivered by the partnership of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, South Dublin County Council, Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council, Codema – Dublin’s Energy Agency and the Dublin Climate Action Regional Office (CARO).

The overall vision of Dublin Climate Action Week 2021 is – ‘to highlight Dublin’s climate action progress to its citizens and demonstrate the leadership role of the four local authorities in conjunction with other partners’.

Shared objectives

The agreed shared objectives of the initiative are:

  • Demonstrate progress on the implementation of the four Dublin local authority Climate Change Action Plans, and a regional approach to climate action;
  • Engage with a full range of partners to share knowledge on efforts and innovation across sectors;
  • Make climate action a ‘reality’ allowing citizens to see what climate action looks like;
  • Promote this initiative so as to fully engage with EU and international cities and our climate peers; and
  • Create a legacy so that this initiative can carry forward to subsequent years in a variety of ways.