Research on the Galway City Councils Local Authority Climate Action Plan (LACAP) and the citys performance in terms of nature, water, and sustainable transport

Galway City Council has made considerable efforts in climate protection over the past few years. In 2023, the minister required local authorities to create a local authority climate action plan as part of the path outlined in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill (2021) to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. A closer look at the Local Authority Climate Action Plan (2024-2029) for Galway reveals working with stakeholders, designing programmes and projects to help achieve goals, and providing opportunities to involve the public to be integral to the creation of the plan. Some key goals are to be an environmentally sustainable, carbon-neutral, and biodiverse city by 2050. The Galway City Council's Climate Action Plan and Climate Action Strategy will work mutually to implement climate protection measures. The establishment of Sustainable Energy Communities (SECs), the Climate Adaptation Strategy (2019-2024), and general work to protect sand dunes, increase flood protection, and reduce air pollution are some examples of steps to be taken by the City Council. Other goals set by Galway City Council include improving energy efficiency by 50% and reducing greenhouse gases by 51% by 2030. In research conducted at various locations in Galway City centre, people were asked about their knowledge of the council's Climate Action Plan, active travel initiatives, and the city's performance in terms of protection of the environment and climate action in an eleven-question survey. One hundred and forty full and eight partially completed questionnaires were collected (n=148), with the vast majority of participants living in the city.