Mayor proposes that Kilkenny joins the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance

Kilkenny City is to seek membership of the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance as part of further moves towards a more sustainable future.

Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr David Fitzgerald, proposed that the city apply to join the programme under a notice of motion at the most recent meeting of Kilkenny City Municipal District Council.

Plans for five new commercial units in Kilkenny

The motion was subsequently seconded and passed, and was generally welcomed by fellow councillors, with no dissenting voices.

The Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance aims to help cities take action to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050 or earlier.

To achieve this, the Alliance works to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing between cities, and provides access to expertise and resources to support the development and implementation of climate action plans.

To be considered for membership, cities must fulfill the following membership criteria:

• City council has formally adopted community-wide carbon neutrality goal across all sectors (electricity, thermal, transportation, waste)
• City has developed, or is currently developing, community-wide carbon neutrality implementation plan
• City has dedicated budget and staff allocated to implementing its carbon neutrality implementation plan
• City is committed to active participation in the Alliance (interested in learning from other cities, committed to sharing with other cities, and committed to advancing urban carbon neutrality goals globally)

Cities that are members of the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance commit to setting ambitious emissions reduction targets, developing comprehensive climate action plans, and regularly reporting on their progress.