Long road to change ahead as climate impact already costing Cavan council €2m a year
Climate-related weather damage is costing Cavan County Council “in excess of €2m per annum” according to a council spokesperson.
The extremes people are already facing include landslides, electricity blackouts, water shortages, wildfires, “structural damage from wind, fallen trees, and the impact on the road network from flash flooding and ‘rain dumping’,” they added.
But Cavan, like local authorities across the State, has written a five-year Climate Action Plan aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 51pc over the next five years.
It is hoped these cuts will help stave off the worst of what the climate crisis has in store and help Ireland play its part globally.
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Rising levels of carbon and methane trap heat in the atmosphere, heating land, sea and air temperatures, which creates severe weather like the heavy rains in July 2021 that caused a landslide 50 metres wide and six feet deep on Benbrack Mountain.
The council’s climate report shows that the mercury hit 30.8C at Ballyhaise on July 18, 2022. Rising temperatures led to four of the county’s driest Aprils, and extreme heat sparked an algal bloom that killed 5,000 fish in Barnagrow Lake in July 2021. Heatwaves have also damaged road surfaces.
Projections on future climate risks suggest heatwaves will become more frequent, leading to increased demand for water
Heavy rainfall in October 2022 flooded the N3 outside Cavan town, leaving it impassable for a time, with similar incidents in September 2019 and 2020.
The council’s climate plan highlights how, in 2018, the “Beast from the East” closed Cavan roads amid snowdrifts up to 2m, while later flooding saw pollutants flow into habitats and ecosystems “with detrimental effects”.
In 2021, Storm Barra toppled trees and left 3,000 without power.
Projections on future climate risks suggest heatwaves will become more frequent as temperatures rise by between 1.1C and 1.6C, leading to increased demand for water. Summer rains are expected to reduce, but heavy rainfall days are predicted to increase, leading to more flooding.
In Cavan, human activity created 2,513,590 tonnes of C02 in 2018, with the council saying the “largest source of emissions are from the commercial and industrial sectors” at 37pc.
The report highlighted how those emissions were “relatively high” compared to areas like Dublin and Fingal, because of a “strong level of food and drink manufacturing, general manufacturing, concrete manufacturing, fuel/oil depots and warehousing in the county”.
Agriculture is Cavan’s second biggest emitter at 29pc, with cattle accounting for 82pc of the sector’s share. Transport was third (15pc), with half of that coming from private car use.
A major opportunity highlighted in the report was Mannok’s plans for a renewable energy valley that aims to decarbonise cement production while powering three manufacturing facilities.
The council said it’s also “working proactively with the [National Transport Authority], Local Link and on our own Active Travel programme” to expand active travel networks in line with social housing.
The council’s spokesperson told us that, to date, the council has installed a 2.2km single cycle lane in Cavan town and a 691-metre double cycle lane on Station Road.
“The proposed Virginia Bypass will feature 15km of cycle lanes, providing greater active travel options,” they added.
“The 1.5km Cavan Town Greenway Phase 1 links the grounds of Cavan General Hospital to Loreto Road by extending it into the heart of Cavan town.
“The Cavan North West Greenway will create a broader network connecting the Cavan Town Greenway Phase 1 with the Ulster Canal Greenway and the Cavan Leitrim Greenway, resulting in a 40km route linking Cavan Town, Ballyconnell, Clones, Monaghan and Ballinamore.
“We are also assessing opportunities in larger towns across the county.”
The local authority also outlined plans to drive down emissions with ideas like installing solar panels on council car parks and buildings. Like every council on the island, they plan to retrofit their own buildings, replace their fleets and upgrade streetlights.
The spokesperson said: “Cavan County Council is currently undertaking a prefeasibility district heating study which will look at the suitability of various areas/towns within the county.”
It also selected “five significant energy user buildings … for investigation into opportunities for building energy retrofit”, and “83pc of its public lighting network” has already been retrofitted, with the remaining 17pc to be dealt with “as they fail” in the coming years.
Cavan town has been chosen as the county’s decarbonising zone (DZ) “to serve as a model, showcasing possibilities for reducing carbon emissions and fostering sustainable living practices throughout the county”.
They hope to reduce emissions in the DZ through measures like developing a “smarter” public transport network to promote a shift away from private cars, and will look into free options and a bike rental scheme.
They also aim to remove throwaway coffee cups, install water fountain, develop community allotments, increase pedestrian space and roll out a cycle bus scheme for schools, with safe routes for walking and cycling.
The council says its biggest climate improvements so far are in public lighting, behavioural change and reducing emissions in their own corporate headquarters by 32pc since 2018.