Climate change plan can make rural west of Ireland more prosperous

THE Climate Action Plan, launched by the government last week, creates a real momentum now for a prosperous, thriving and local wealth generating future for the west of Ireland, say the Mayo Green Party.

It also said that the comprehensive plan should be embraced as an opportunity particularly for farmers and rural west of Ireland particularly.

Liam Heffron, chair of the Mayo Greens, said it provides opportunity, incentive and support for diversification with multi-species grassland, organic farming, forestry and energy production.

“The Climate Action Plan creates the momentum for a prosperous rural west of Ireland, targeting economic farming policies to work in empathy with our environment, landscapes and local communities,” he said.

“This plan recognises and prioritises farmers - and especially the smaller west of Ireland farmers - as not just faceless suppliers of subsidised beef and lamb, but as important guardians of the rural landscape, as entrepreneurs of sustainable diversified farming, as on-farm energy producers and as native woodland growers, for example. This, we believe can ensure that small farmers in particular can really benefit from a just transition to a lower carbon way of work and life.”

The Mayo Greens also highlighted the opportunities with the plan for community power generation, which can help ensure that communities, and non-profit or community organisations, across Mayo can have more control over their own energy needs and supplies, and can actually profit from the excess energy they can generate from plentiful renewable sources like wind.

Heffron added: “This plan provides for opportunities for existing non-profits to start producing electricity on the roof of every church and community hall in the county, to ensure a stable source of energy locally and as a source of community wealth.”

The Mayo Greens plan to hold a public meeting in the near future, with Green Ministers, to look at how climate action and this climate action plan can benefit small West of Ireland farmers and communities.