Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 November 2023
92. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Education to outline the targets for reducing scope 3 emissions in Irish schools; the actions required to achieve these targets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52870/23]
View answerIt has been agreed that School Transport Scheme services fall under the Transport Sector in relation to emissions reduction targets and reporting. Officials in the Department of Education are continuing to engage with officials in the Department of Transport in this regard.
Site that are zoned for schools need to be appropriately located in order to maximise sustainable and active travel modes, with a view to minimising the number of car journeys.
The Department of Education’s Technical Guidance Documents require that consideration is given to Government policy on transport when determining sites for new schools. This includes resources such as the National Transport Authority (NTA) publication ‘Tool Kit for School Travel’, Smarter Travel and the 'Safe Routes to School' guide jointly developed by the NTA and An Taisce's Green Schools.
The School Sector Climate Action Mandate recognises the distinctive role schools are playing in the areas of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and climate action. The Mandate promotes engagement by schools in initiatives such as the Green Schools initiative and encourages schools to consider how elements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be integrated into school life - looking at, for example, food waste, biodiversity, water consumption, recycling, reusing, walking and cycling.
A Sustainability Toolkit for Schools has also been developed and published in collaboration with stakeholders. The toolkit includes a Self-Assessment Sustainability Audit, Sustainability Guidelines and a template Sustainability Policy Statement, all aimed at supporting schools on their sustainability journeys.
ESD to 2030, Ireland’s 2nd National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development, supports implementation of the Climate Action Plan and the SDGs National Implementation Plan. Ireland’s Voluntary National Review 2023 was presented to the UN at the High Level Political Forum in July and Chapter 7.1 of the VNR provides a high level overview of the Education sectors contribution to the achievement of the 17 SDGs.
The ESD to 2030 webpage contains further details and information on initiatives undertaken over the last year to assist schools in supporting sustainable practices : gov.ie - National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development in Ireland (www.gov.ie).
The Department of Education and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications established a jointly funded energy retrofit pathfinder programme, which is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Planning and Building Unit in my Department.
This programme targets energy use and CO2 emission reduction by 51%, testing deep retrofit and low carbon heating solutions.
To date 53 school projects across Ireland have been completed, with an additional 11 schools currently at various stages of progress on their decarbonisation upgrades.
