‘Community is the key to climate action’ – In Mayo, environmental shifts start from the ground up
According to the latest SEAI figures, Mayo County Council has already reduced its CO2 emissions by 34pc and improved its energy efficiency by 41pc – compared with baseline figures from 2019 – as it tries to live up to the promises in its Climate Action Plan.
A key part of this has been tackling energy use across the council’s operations.
In 2021, public lighting accounted for 38pc of the council's energy-related emissions. Under the Future Proof our Council strategy, all public lighting, where feasible, will be converted to low-energy LED by 2029, with more than half of the network already retrofitted.
The council has also invested in renewable energy. Solar panels have been installed on council buildings across the county, including at Áras an Chontae, the Derrinumera and Rathoreen landfill sites, Castlebar Library and Swinford Courthouse.
Together, these panels generate around 109 MWh of clean electricity annually, eradicating approximately 28 tonnes of CO2 each year.
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Other energy-efficiency upgrades, such as upgrading heating systems, improving procurement policies and using electric outdoor tools, led to energy use in the first half of last year being 5pc lower than during the same period in 2024.
The Climate Action Plan was shaped by two studies: a Baseline Emissions Inventory (BEI) and a Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA).
As a predominantly rural area, Mayo’s emissions profile looks a little different from the national picture.
The BEI, based on 2019 figures, showed that agriculture and land use accounted for a high share of total emissions, while industrial and transport emissions remained below average.
That’s hardly surprising. Mayo takes up 8pc of Ireland’s total land area, but is home to only 4pc of the population.
The county’s higher land-use emissions largely reflect its extensive peat soils. These naturally store vast amounts of carbon, but can release CO2 when managed for farming.
In other words, Mayo’s emissions stem more from its landscape and soil type than from farming practices themselves.
To tackle this, the council is working with local farmers and communities on nature-based solutions, from restoring peatlands to enhancing biodiversity and promoting sustainable land management.
“There are great initiatives happening in Mayo,” said Laura Dixon, Mayo County Council’s climate action officer. “There’s real involvement from farmers, whether it’s improving biodiversity, restoring peatlands or tackling invasive species.”
One example is the Wild Atlantic Nature Life Integrated Project, a nine-year, €20.6m initiative funded by the EU Life programme.
The project will work with farmers, landowners, and local communities to protect and restore vital natural peatland habitats across the west of Ireland.
The second study shaping the action plan, the CCRA, identified five major climate threats facing Mayo: flooding and heavy rainfall, windstorms, heatwaves and droughts, cold spells, and rising sea levels causing coastal erosion.
Heavy rainfall and flooding, in particular, have taken a toll on homes and infrastructure in recent years.
In response, the council launched a series of flood relief schemes under its Future Proof our Community action.
Completed works in Westport’s Cois Abhainn and Ashwood estates have protected 36 homes.
In Crossmolina, where around 120 properties were flooded in 2015, construction began last year on a €34m flood relief scheme that will safeguard 73 homes and 43 businesses.
In Ballina, a €55m scheme recently approved by An Coimisiún Pleanála will protect 187 homes and 54 businesses.
In response to the CCRA study, Mayo County Council carried out a public survey that drew nearly 600 responses. Residents made their concerns clear, with an overwhelming 92pc saying they were worried about climate change.
“The biggest worry was impact for future generations,” said Ms Dixon. “We framed the whole plan around that – impact for future generations and using understandable language.”
That focus inspired the plan’s central future-proofing theme.
Mayo’s approach isn’t just defensive, it’s also proactive. Under the action plan, the council is partnering with local schools, farmers and community groups to promote regenerative farming and environmental awareness across the county.
“The council has a long history of working with schools through the Green Schools Initiative, and with landowners across Mayo on various projects,” Ms Dixon said. “During Climate Action Week, there were over 30 events across the county. The majority were community-led, from schools and football clubs to farmers and Tidy Towns groups.”
A key feature of the action plan was the creation of a decarbonising zone (DZ) in Mulranny.
“We had 30 communities across Mayo who were interested in becoming the DZ and 10 who applied,” Ms Dixon said. “We continue to work with all of them through our decarbonising network.”
Given the strong interest from communities, Mayo County Council is now committed to expanding the decarbonising network by 10 new communities every two years.
Mayo’s climate progress is being driven by a mix of government and community investment.
The Community Climate Action Programme, a €609,000 fund that supports community groups across the county working on innovative, low-carbon projects, is a national initiative from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, delivered locally by Mayo County Council.
Mayo is also home to a pilot sustainability fund, run by Community Foundation Ireland, that has awarded €628,000 to 12 local groups including Belleek Woods Enhancement Committee, Mayo Dark Skies and the Mulranny Community Futures, which is coordinating projects to build climate resilience across 10 communities.
While the journey is far from over, Mayo’s results so far have put it firmly on track to meet national targets – and, more importantly, to protect the next generation.
For Ms Dixon, the real strength of Mayo’s climate movement lies in its people.
“There’s so much happening across Mayo,” she said, “Getting involved with the community is the key to climate action. When we talk about future proofing, it’s the community spirit in Mayo that makes it strong.”