Fingal’s Climate Action Plan, passed by councillors this week, will contain information relating to the Dublin Airport and initiatives to reduce emissions.
Despite being the largest carbon emitter in the country, Dublin Airport is aiming to expand is operations and the greenhouse gases generated.
A motion, put forward by the Green Party in Fingal, was agreed unanimously by councillors to include airport emissions, including those from airlines (known as scope 3) in the published reports and to track the impact of initiatives aimed at reducing airport emissions.
While the council will be reliant on publicly available information, the section on aviation emissions will help to highlight what is happening at the airport by comparison to the council and the community at large.
Cllr Ian Carey said:
“What we have to be careful of is avoiding the elephant in the room. Dublin Airport is the biggest carbon emitter in the country by some estimations and it is here in Fingal. If we have a plan to reduce emissions in Fingal it absolutely has to be included.
“I’m glad that councillors, and the executive, supported our motion to have it included. The more light we can shine on the emissions at Dublin Airport the better. Right now, aviation is getting a free pass by comparison to other areas and it’s not right.
“The Fingal Climate Action Plan is never going to be the place where the thorny issue of aviation is dealt with but by tracking and highlighting what is happening it can be a powerful communication tool for activists and public representatives who want to see a fairer and more equitable sharing of emission reductions.” .
