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An Air Corps helicopter fire fighting in Howth. Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

Head of Defence Forces says climate change is single biggest threat to Ireland

Mellett, who holds a PhD in environmental governance, believes Ireland must act to prevent the impact of climate change.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS the biggest threat to Ireland, the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces has said.

Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, who has served as the leader of Ireland’s military for six years and has a PhD in environmental and ecosystem governance, believes that climate breakdown is already creating conflict and destabilisation across the globe.

“There’s no doubt there’s a growing sense that we’re physically experiencing the impact of climate breakdown,” he said. 

Mellett noted that the Defence Forces have increasingly been responding to incidents related to the climate crisis as extreme weather events become more frequent. 

“A large piece of the Killarney National Park burned down in the middle of April – that is unprecedented.

“We’ve had helicopters fighting fires in Howth for the last week or so. We saw what happened in Germany, we saw what happened over the weekend in the UK, flash flooding cars being washed down the street – this is an existential threat to survival.

“We’re putting that in a Defence Forces context and we have to be prepared for more extreme weather events.”

Mellett, speaking to The Journal at the Naval Base in Haulbowline, Co Cork, said that the Defence Forces has a dual role of providing defence for the country and also ‘as an insurance policy [to help] the State’s ability to absorb shocks, like we’ve been doing for the last 500 days with the pandemic response’. 

Mellett gave the example of the increased desertification of sub-Saharan Africa which has driven people from the land. The Army Ranger Wing – Irish special forces – are on the ground dealing with extremist groups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. 

Image from iOS An Irish Army Ranger Wing member on the ground in Mali. Irish Defence Forces Irish Defence Forces

Mellett says that the current violence in West Africa will cause an increase in refugees and migrants leaving the area to enter Europe and in turn this could cause destablisation and disharmony among EU member states.  

He said that Ireland has a “false sense of security” and the State needs to position itself to deal with the problems caused by climate change. 

“When Ireland talks about a multilateral framework, it’s not out of a sense of idealism.

“It’s actually a real practical experience that if countries like Ireland don’t play a role in terms of safe and secure environments, who will?”

COS-3 Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces Vice Admiral Mark Mellett. Irish Defence Forces Irish Defence Forces

The UN’s IPCC has said that global warming has caused an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. 

The world has already warmed by about 1 degree Celsius since pre-industrial times due to human activity, and the UN IPCC has warned that this is likely to pass 1.5C between 2030 and 2052 if the increase continues at the current rate.

It is not only temperature that has changed: there have also been changes in rainfall, declines in snow and ice, and increases in sea-level as the oceans heat up. 

Mellett, who is due to retire from the Defence Forces in two months’ time, said Ireland is set to become a world leader in renewable energy with Cork Harbour set to play host to the construction of a giant windfarm off the south coast. 

“The Government has committed to five gigawatts of offshore renewable energy, primarily floating wind farms, by May 2030 and this infrastructure will cost billions of euros, this harbour area here is going to be transformed.

“It is going to become a hub in terms of service in this industry as some of the richest renewable wind energy resource in the world is just off the south coast here.”

The full interview with Mark Mellett will appear on The Journal at the weekend

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    Mute Dara O'Brien
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:02 PM

    The real question should be ‘is it a song’ …

    211
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    Mute Psych-nesss
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:48 AM

    @Dara O’Brien: thick

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    Mute Hellenize Dublin
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    Dec 24th 2018, 1:12 AM

    @Dara O’Brien: thin

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    Mute Acedeuce
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    Dec 24th 2018, 1:29 AM

    @Hellenize Dublin: voluptuous

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    Mute Acedeuce
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:03 PM

    Debatable.. But what’s not debatable is whether or not die hard is a Christmas movie! Be interesting to see a poll on that.. Because its most definitely not a Christmas movie imo!!

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    Mute Stephen Curry
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:18 PM

    @Acedeuce: it’s not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi plaza

    140
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    Mute Dave Thomas
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:23 PM

    @Acedeuce: it’s all about a man trying to spend Christmas with his family.. it’s just some terrorists turn up.

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    Mute Celtic_Horizon
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:26 PM
    4
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    Mute Michael
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:31 PM

    @Acedeuce: ultimate Christmas film… ho ho ho now I’ve got a machine gun

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    Mute Kev
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 11:16 PM

    @Stephen Curry: Peralta?

    4
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    Mute Glangan
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    Dec 24th 2018, 4:18 PM

    @Acedeuce: Silence! Of course Die Hard is a Xmas Film.

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    Mute Glangan
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    Dec 24th 2018, 4:19 PM

    @Dave Thomas: well done

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    Mute David O'Toole
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:11 PM

    Think it was written about the death of his brother when they were young. It was a Xmas no 1

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    Mute Davy Boy
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:12 PM

    Surprised it has not been banned stay another day , it that not the same as baby it’s cold outside?

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    Mute James Wallace
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 8:39 PM

    @Davy Boy: no, because he is singing to his brother who committed suicide

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Dec 24th 2018, 8:03 AM

    @Davy Boy: also, has ‘baby it’s cold outside’ been banned? probably just in your head. But the line with the drink spiking is a little bit weird though

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    Mute Pixie McMullen
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:13 PM

    Every “Christmas”song evokes a different memory in different people,whether it has a Christmas theme or not, the Number 1 at Christmas from years past brings nostalgia and colours our judgement,
    Is Jonah Lewies Stop the cavalry song a Christmas song? No, it was an anti war song,
    mull of Kintyre is another one,
    East 17 released their song smack bang on the pulse of romantic songs and era at the time
    To me, from my age group, the likes of The Flying Pickets, Band Aid, Chris Rea and believe it or not, Wham lol

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    Mute Pixie McMullen
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:20 PM

    @Pixie McMullen: Oh! and mull of Kintyre, i have fond memories of being 12 years old and delivering milk with the local milkman that morning, always stopped off at my house for tea and a warm up, Women put warm milk bottles out when they heard the truck, and there were little tips of 50p flying that weekend, rosy cheeked freezing cold and as happy as F**k

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    Mute Darcy
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 8:52 PM

    @Pixie McMullen: flying pickets , now I did love them and Wham of course !

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:38 AM

    @Pixie McMullen: awww now that is a nice memory.

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    Mute Greg Ward
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:05 PM

    It’s not a real Christmas song. Just a real sh!t song.

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    Mute Darcy
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 8:11 PM

    NO its not it has nothing to do with Christmas

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    Mute Michael
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 11:26 PM

    @Darcy: why not?

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    Mute Dara O'Brien
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:17 PM

    It identifies as a Christmas song – it’s wishes must be respected.

    But;

    Nobody asked the shinners so the poll is just an FFG shill perpetrated by the Christmas elite.

    Also;

    If it had just paid its Christmas dues, it wouldn’t be the centre of this debate at all – I cant believe that this is the Christmas song that people have chosen to get behind …

    Etc etc

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    Mute Uncle Montys oaf
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:04 PM

    It’s a crap song

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    Mute TellingItAsItIs
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 8:25 PM

    Seriously? Could you guys not drum up a bit of news?

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    Mute Michael
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 11:28 PM

    @TellingItAsItIs: if you don’t like the article you don’t have to go into it and comment on it look else where lad

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    Mute TellingItAsItIs
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 11:53 PM

    @Michael: It’s a public forum pal. I’ll comment on it if I wish.

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    Mute Michael
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:43 AM

    @TellingItAsItIs: maybe public but if I don’t like a forum I’ll pass on it…not go into it and comment on it saying I don’t like it

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    Mute TellingItAsItIs
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    Dec 24th 2018, 8:18 AM

    @Michael: you do what you would do kid and I’ll do what I do.

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    Mute John Connolly
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:02 PM

    A slow news day!!!!!! The 42 would prob get a better reaction if they asked if Die Hard a Christmas movie…….

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    Mute Earl of Daventry
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:58 AM

    The writer, Tony Mortimer gets serious royalties off this. He’s worth £60 million.

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    Mute ivan lynch
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 7:54 PM

    Should be banned

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 10:13 PM

    Take out the background bells and could be played in July

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    Mute Michael
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 10:40 PM

    @Quentin Moriarty: take out Christmas out of all songs and they could be played in July going by your logic…

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 11:49 PM

    @Michael: Christmas just bell sounds ?

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    Mute Michael
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:51 AM

    @Quentin Moriarty: you could replace that word with anything like you can replace back Round bells with any kind of instrument…going by your logic

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    Mute Michael
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:53 AM

    @Michael: ment to say back ground

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    Mute Paul M. Barrett
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 9:21 PM

    It’s an atrocious song, the same monotonous chorus repeated over and over by a group who were a poor version of Take That. It’s best forgotten about not debated.

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    Mute Michael
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 10:33 PM

    @Paul M. Barrett: may not all about the song…like me could be that the time and year it was released I got my first Sega mega drive that Christmas….cheer up lad it’s Christmas

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    Mute Crocodylus Pontifex
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 9:36 PM

    Is ‘The Monster Mash’ a valentin’s day song? It wasn’t but since 1993 it has been

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    Mute Barra O Brien
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    Dec 24th 2018, 2:16 AM

    No

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    Mute Darren Sheridan
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:34 PM

    Jingle Bells doesn’t mention Christmas so.. sure why not.

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    Mute Gisbert Bayertz
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    Dec 23rd 2018, 9:06 PM

    It’s a crap song

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    Mute Noel Kelly
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:07 PM

    It’s not a Christmas song but bells were added to make it a Christmas song

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    Mute Matthew Gorman
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    Dec 24th 2018, 1:51 PM

    Yes it’s got bells in it.

    1
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