‘We must act’ – Kilkenny Council challenged to show leadership on climate crisis

GREEN Party councillor Malcolm Noonan has challenged the newly elected Kilkenny County Council to show leadership in tacking the climate change crisis.with the support of the Labour Party,

Cllr Noonan, with the support of the Labour Party, has tabled a motion for the June monthly meeting calling for the council to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency.

The Green Party’s spokesperson on local government reform told KilkennyNow.ie: “This is not just a token gesture – the motion will seek to develop collaborative plans for all aspects of our work to help our transition towards a zero-carbon economy by 2030. It will call on the council to lead in developing these actions and for the development of partnerships with academia, the European Union and local actors and the wider community.

Cllr Noonan added: “We have a short window of time to act but act we must. I am hopeful that the collective will exists within Kilkenny County Council to be brave and ambitious in meeting the climate challenge.”

In his address to the AGM of Kilkenny County Council on Friday, Cllr Noonan said the local authority must respond to the demand of young people who went on school strikes across Kilkenny and all over the world, seeking immediate and urgent action on climate change.

“It is my view that local authorities are best placed to respond to this crisis and that we can meet the challenge, collaboratively and collectively but the will to lead and inspire must be there,” said Cllr Noonan.

“Furthermore, I don’t believe that we are currently equipped nor resourced to meet the challenge. Subvention to local government in Ireland is among the lowest in Europe, putting pressure on our town centres through rates. Yet our town centres are key to future sustainability where many more people could be living here reducing car dependency and fostering local service and food resilience,” he added.