Catchment News

Up for the Challenge? Kerry’s community solutions for Climate Change.

Ten years ago Transition Kerry asked the question ‘What will Tralee look like in the year 2030’, because they recognised that ‘climate change changes everything’.

Now, to mark ten years of working on this transition in Kerry, Transition Kerry are planning a public gathering.

When: Saturday November 11^th 2017 from 9.30 – 4pm.
Where: Manor West Hotel, Tralee

What kind of future do we want to create for Kerry?  How do we create community solutions to the challenges of climate change?

On that day the speakers and participants will address how communities can respond and become more resilient in the face of the increasing challenges of climate change, national policy and mitigation, food security & biodiversity loss, sustainable energy and co-operatives, working in partnership with community groups and government structures, personal participation and actions.

Some of the questions Transition Kerry are asking are: How will we feed ourselves? – Where will we get our energy from? – How will we travel around?  – How will our weather patterns change? – How will climate change affect coastal communities, farmland and forestry? – How will climate change affect our land use and infrastructure?  – How can we plan, prepare and adapt for these changes? – How can we engage with local and national policy for climate mitigation and adaptation?  – How can we create healthy communities with sustainable livelihoods? 

Transition Kerry will have a range of speakers on climate change and community resilience including:

John Gibbons (Journalist)
Dr Cara Augustenborg (Lecturer in Climate and Environment, UCD)
Dr Margaret Desmond (Environmental Research Institute – ERI, UCC)

Transition Kerry are going to have a number of online interviews, with IPCC climatologist Professor John Sweeney and Rob Hopkins, who started the Transition initiative in Kinsale over 12 years ago.

There will be input from Transition Kerry on our 3-year plan, Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-operative (KSEC) on their work and from representatives who are involved in sustainable local community projects.

Transition Kerry will be highlighting the Office of Public Works Flood maps on the day.  These show the projected extent and expected depths of predicted flooding from inland and sea in Kerry and their potential consequences.

The Local Community Water Officer, Bláithín Ní Ainín will be there on the day with maps of Kerry’s river catchments showing the current ecological status of Kerry’s rivers, lakes, estuaries and groundwater and displays explaining water catchments and their management.

Transition Kerry will be hosting this event with Davie Philips from Cultivate and with support from our key statutory partners, including Kerry County Council, the EPA and Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-op.  This event is also being supported by Kerry Public Participation Network (Kerry PPN) and Siamsa Tíre.  We are planning for a strong local community representation on the day, which will be complemented by key local and national stakeholders.

Transition Kerry has been active for 10 years, organising public events, delivering educational programmes and initiating workshops on best environmental practice and up-skilling for community resilience.  This event aims to inform and shape our ongoing climate action work here in Kerry and to strengthen local networks, through our key international, national and local speakers.

Registration:
Registration is essential. There is a €10 contribution to the event, but concessions are available.   Please contact Transition Kerry directly if you need further information or want to volunteer – Niamh Ní Dhúill @ 086 7247066 – info@transitionkerry.org.

REGISTER HERE:
https://www.iregister.ie/v2/events/transition-kerry/

Lunch:
Lunch is available and catered directly by the Manor West Hotel. We will forward more information closer to the date.

http://www.transitionkerry.org/