Ireland has opened applications for its 2027 Climate Ambassador programme, giving people across the country the chance to train as local climate leaders and lead practical action in their own schools, campuses and communities. Applications are open now and close on 30 November 2026.
The programme is run by An Taisce, Ireland’s national trust for the environment, and is described by the organisation as Ireland’s first initiative to train and support individuals taking action on climate change. It was established in 2017 and is coordinated by An Taisce with support from Ireland’s Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.
What the programme offers
Successful applicants receive training in climate literacy, climate solutions and leadership. The programme also offers climate action tours and workshops around Ireland at network gatherings held through the year, where ambassadors meet one another and share ideas.
An Taisce Climate Action officers work directly with ambassadors, helping them design community projects and events and build the communication skills needed to share their achievements. The programme runs for the full calendar year and ends with a special awards ceremony celebrating the ambassadors’ work.
Who can apply
Everyone can apply, and no previous experience is required to become an official Climate Ambassador. Applicants come from secondary and third-level education as well as from adult life, and groups are formed by region around Ireland so ambassadors can work with people near them.
Technological University Dublin, which is promoting the 2027 call to its students and staff, notes that the programme supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in particular sustainable cities and communities, climate action and partnership for the goals.
What ambassadors do
In their first year, Climate Ambassadors carry out at least two climate actions and two climate communications within their community, school or campus. That can mean anything from a local tree-planting day or a waste-reduction project to a talk, a workshop or a social media campaign explaining a climate solution.
According to programme partners, more than 800 Climate Ambassadors have been trained since 2018, showing how a network built one community at a time can grow into a national movement.
Key facts
- Programme: An Taisce Climate Ambassador programme, Ireland
- Applications for 2027: open now until 30 November 2026
- Experience required: none; everyone can apply
- Ambassador commitment: at least two climate actions and two climate communications in the first year
- Support: training in climate literacy, solutions and leadership, plus Climate Action officers and network gatherings
- Established: 2017, with support from Ireland’s Department of Environment, Climate and Communications
Why it matters
Climate ambassadors matter because national targets are delivered street by street. A trained local volunteer can turn a vague worry about climate change into a school garden, a repaired bike scheme or a neighbourhood energy-saving drive — and can persuade neighbours to join in. Ireland’s model, built on training, regional groups and a yearly awards celebration, shows how volunteering can be structured so that enthusiasm becomes lasting action.
Similar ambassador networks are growing elsewhere in Europe. The European Union’s Climate Pact counts more than 1,000 ambassadors across the continent, each working to inform and inspire climate action in their own community.
Read more climate news from Watan News.
