The Green Transition and the Community & Voluntary Sector.

‘Every home, every community, every workplace and every farm must be mobilised to get involved’  Government of Ireland Climate Action Plan.  

Hopefully, at this stage, we are sufficiently beyond denial that we are in a climate crisis – not facing a climate crisis – but actually in it. Hopefully enough people now realise the clock is ticking and there is no time to waste. Hopefully, too, there is also a growing realisation that we all have a part to play, from the individual to the large corporate organisation.

Given that there are about 30,000 charities, community, voluntary and non-government organisations in Ireland, the sector also has an important role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lessening our impact on the environment and supporting climate justice.

This decade is described as a decade of action to address climate change, and the green transition is a journey to sustainability. So where might an organisation start? Perhaps a starting point is to talk about it in an organised way and identify initial actions, and then talk some more and identify the next steps. Each time taking bigger and bolder steps, not waiting for change but anticipating it, not waiting until the end of the decade but beginning to create the future we want, now.