9 November 2020
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Ronan Keane, Chair of Engineers Ireland Cork Region, said he is delighted with the engagement with the Region’s Autumn/Winter lecture series thus far, with over 400 attendees at events. Micheál Lyons, Senior Executive Engineer, Manager of the Climate Action Unit at Cork City Council will deliver the latest in the Engineers Ireland (Cork Branch) series of Autumn Lectures tomorrow (Tuesday, November 10th) at 7pm, on line via zoom. It is a free event and all are welcome.
The presentation will outline the important, but not exclusive, role that local authorities play in addressing the climate action and biodiversity crises which are faced by all at local, regional, national, and global levels. The presentation will focus on adaptive actions which the local authority sector can both implement itself and encourage through partnerships with local, regional and national stakeholders. Some of Cork City Council’s highlights over the past 12 months have been:
- Becoming the first local authority in Ireland to set up a dedicated Climate Action Committee;
- One of the first local authorities to declare climate and biodiversity emergency in June 2019;
- Largest EV (electric vehicles) fleet in the local authority sector;
- Large-scale pedestrianisation of city centre streets, in tandem with continuing improvements in cycling infrastructure;
- Currently one of the leading local authorities in terms of energy reduction as part of our 2020 national targets.
Ronan Keane continued, “while the current pandemic has prevented traditional ‘in-room’ attendance at talks, the virtual environment has allowed for a wider audience from both Engineers Ireland members and the wider community. For example, the recent talk “From Bermuda to Ballycotton: The Curious Tale of the MV Alta” had over 270 attendees online.” Ronan hopes that upcoming lectures will get similar levels of engagement on topics ranging from Climate Change and Remote Working to Earthquake Engineering and Small Scale Renewable Energy.”
The Cork region is a hub for members based in Cork. It represents all sectors of the industry, including third level, local authorities, contractors, companies, researchers and more. It provides local CPD and networking events for engineers.
