For the purposes of preparing the Climate Change Adaptation Strategies, the country has been divided into four regions; Dublin Metropolitan, Eastern & Midlands, Atlantic Seaboard South and Atlantic Seaboard North. The regional offices are based on regions which face similar risks from climate change. Cork County Council is one of five Local Authorities in the Atlantic Seaboard South Climate Action Region Office (CARO) and includes the Local Authority areas of Limerick City and County, Cork City, Kerry and Clare.
All of the Local Authorities in the Atlantic Seaboard South region face similar risks from sea level rise, coastal flooding, storms, ground water flooding and rural pluvial flooding. The function of the CARO is to assist and coordinate the preparation of county level adaptation strategies. Cork County Council has been appointed as the lead Local Authority for the CARO Atlantic Seaboard South Region
Pict.2.1 Map of the counties in the Atlantic Seaboard South region
Cork County Council is one of the Ireland's largest Local Authorities serving a population of 322,211 (6.81% of the total population) [12] and is responsible for a geographical area of 7,457 km² (10.6% of total area of the State) [13]. The Cork County Development
Plan 2014 [14] identifies 302 designated settlements including towns, villages and 7 Islands in the county. The combined Cork City and County administrative areas are reported to contribute 19% of the National GDP [15].