The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications have announced the projects that will be a part of the Creative Climate Action Fund. The 14 recipients of the €2 million fund will create engaging projects that are meant to increase public awareness surrounding climate change.

Ireland is the first country in the EU to launch such an initiative, and the government hopes that the creative, cultural, and artistic projects encourage citizens to make climate-friendly behavioural changes.

"I believe that the creative community has a vital role to play in bringing the urgency of climate change to the forefront," said Catherine Martin, the minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. "These projects confirm that creative approaches to community engagement, backed up by academic science, have the imagination and impact to demonstrate that a sustainable future is possible."

Eamon Ryan, the minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, described climate change as a "transformational cultural challenge."

"Our recent Climate Conversations with communities and individuals while preparing the climate action plan have told us that people want to be supported and inspired to make changes," said Ryan. "I believe projects like these will help spark imaginations and to make tangible what 'carbon footprints' and 'climate action' really mean for individuals and communities."

The initiative was launched March 31, 2021, and 14 projects were chosen from the 166 applications. Though they share the same goal of increasing climate change awareness and encouraging citizens to be climate-conscious, each project differs in execution. Some of the projects included will support farmers' climate-friendly agricultural practices in Tipperary, reimagine three Bord na Móna villages to be more sustainable, support the Dublin Docklands communities through an interdisciplinary effort with Brokentalkers Theatre and Trinity College Dublin, and more.

The projects are set to begin immediately and are to be completed by December 2022. Learn more about them here.