Mayo to get its first decarbonisation zone

MAYO is to get its first decarbonisation zone.

Communities - rural and urban - are being invited to enter submissions for a pilot initiative being rolled out in the county.

Each local authority in the country is being asked to develop a decarbonising zone - an area in which a range of climate mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity measures are identified to address local low carbon energy, greenhouse gas emissions and climate needs, to contribute to national climate action targets.

The objective of the zone is to be a pilot from which all can learn on reducing greenhouse gases by 50% by 2030.

A specific area within Mayo has to be identified by the end of April and submitted back to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and then a plan for the zone has to be completed by the end of December, climate action officer Laura Dixon told members of Mayo County Council's environment and climate action strategic policy committee.

It will be a vision for the whole community and will improve it in terms of air quality, biodiversity, health and economic opportunities, for example.

Examples of projects within the zone can include looking at sources of electricity and moving to renewables, heat sources, improving the BER of the building stock, reducing the need for travel with a shift towards more sustainable travel, to consider carbon sequestration projects, energy storage, and agricultural projects.