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IRELAND IS NOT prepared for its current climate or the “much worse” future with more heatwaves, flooding and coastal surges, the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has said.
The independent council, which advises the government on climate action and assessing Ireland’s progress, said that more frequent extreme weather events such as heatwaves show “the need for urgent action on adaptation” to the impacts of climate change.
In a statement the council said current plans and strategies provide a “solid foundation” but that Ireland’s adaptation process has often been “side-lined and overshadowed by a focus on mitigation”.
Professor Peter Thorne, chair of the CCAC’s Adaptation Committee, said Ireland needs to “urgently” take steps to ensure it is resilient to more frequent and severe extreme weather events.
“Decision makers at Government, department and national level must be better prepared in their adaptation planning and actions so they can take account of the full range of potential changes projected,” Thorne said in a statement.
Chair of the council Marie Donnelly said it is “imperative” for the government to set an initial adaptation budget up to 2030.
“This budget must be determined in light of the social cost of climate change over at least the next 30 years and must reflect the need to prioritise funding for adaptation to a significantly greater degree than is currently the case.”
Ireland recorded its hottest temperature in 135 years on Monday, with the Met Éireann measuring site at Phoenix Park topping out at 33°C.
A new record for the hottest day ever seen in the UK, of 40.3 degrees Celsius, was recorded in England yesterday afternoon – beating the previous record of 38.7 degrees in Cambridge three years ago.
Fires are continuing to burn through houses and buildings across the UK today.
The global temperature will continue to rise in the years ahead unless greenhouse gas emissions are curbed and Donnelly said that Irish adaptation plans should include heatwave preparation.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, she said unplanned expenditure from events like storms and floods “cost a lot of money”.
“What we’re saying is budget now, invest in resilience because that ultimately saves money in the longer term,” Donnelly said.
Certain basic concepts like not building homes in floodplains must be taken “to all of our infrastructure”, power lines, gas lines and airports, she added.
“We have to think about, can they be resilient in the face of climate change?”
The planning to make Ireland “resilient and capable of coping with” climate change must be done in a “coordinated way”.
“We need them all [sectors] to link up together so that we have a holistic approach to how we prepare and prevent problems causing cost to our society in the future,” Donnelly said.
The council today made a submission to the public consultation on the review of the National Adaptation Framework.
In this, Donnelly said all existing sectoral adaptation plans should be revised and updated with additional plans such for sectors like financial services, tourism, sport and the build environment.
She further added that coastal resilience “requires much more urgent attention”.
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I can just imagine the solution. Set up umpteen committees, possibly even a citizens assembly and talk the subject to death before the government decide to ignore most of the recommendations. May as well just accept the end is nigh and party on!!
@Paul Shepherd: “Party on”!!!!!! Such a cynical and selfish “solution” and effyou pal attitude , sadly all too common. Shure there’s no one around, I’ll park in this disabled spot,…. what’s the harm in going a few kms over the speed limit…. I’m running a bit late, I’ll duck into this bus/bike lane…shure I’m only having a few pints……queues, they’re for eejits… Etc etc etc..
@Jerriko17: Wow. That escalated quickly….
@MikeOM: understandable though. Instead of offering a solution the poster admits and thereby indirectly encourages defeat. Mind you, if not building houses in a flood plain is all the current shower can come up with, then this doesn’t augur well for letting them take control of anything
@alan: the annual flooding at Salthill has yet to be sorted so i dont hold out much hope for any kind of future proofing in other locations
@MikeOM: Haha.. Sorry ’bout that!!!!…. Re coastal erosion….. Was just looking at a house for sale for over 400kon the West Coast on a tidal beach, literally On the beach…. Gorgeous place but you’d want to be out of your mind to buy it but I’m sure the owner’ s hoping some climate change denier buys it. Same goes for houses on low lying coast roads in Dublin, Clontarf, Sandymount etc…. Going to be a very hard sell in the next few years.
@Jerriko17: what have disabled parking spaces etc got to do with the subject? Presume you just want to have a rant.
@Paul Shepherd: It’s the same selfish “party on” , mindset & lack of concern for others……just my thoughts/comments…not a rant!!!!!!
@Jerriko17: you clearly missed the point of my somewhat tongue in cheek post which was suggesting that if we are relying on the current crop of politicians to come up with and implement a coherent plan, then we’re pretty much doomed. On that basis, we may as well enjoy what time is left. It appears you are more optimistic than I am, as my late mother used to say when she watched the news, “thank God I’m on the way out”!!
@Jerriko17: What? A bit of an moody reply to an otherwise realistic (if mildly required sarcastic) post by Mr Shepard. What’s the saying? – Don’t blame the messenger. Mr Shepard is only reflecting what ‘will’ happen, based on past government actions/ inactions.
@MikeOM: The headline being: Gentleman verbally assaulted by idealistic crusty.
@Jerriko17: Lefties have no sense of humor.
@Keth Warsaw: Merely replying to the completely negative post where the comments were totally dismissive of the all the politicians you, he and I elected…, I believe they’re not all bad!!!!! Get involved and quit moaning if you’re not happy with them. Still standing by my comments on the “party on” attitude whether it’s sarcastic or not…Sorry if I offended your feelings…….. snowflake!!!!! Joking !!!! See, I do really have a sense of humour or humor.. as they say in America…. Wait a minute, are you one of Trump’s fellow travelling climate change deniers? That explains it!!!!
Remove the ban on nuclear power. We need all none carbon emitting energy sources it’s too late to be picking and choosing.
@Matthew Donoghue: it’s too late for nuclear power here though. A station would take 50 years to build.
@Matthew Donoghue: Certainly, let’s get the discussion underway but considering the opposition to wind solar, I wouldn’t like to see how long it will take but yes….all options must be considered, fossil fuels are unsustainable and will run out anyway.
@Matthew Donoghue: nuclear power ban should be lifted, but it is not the panacea to solving our challenges, many of which have to be met before 2030.
All these articles seem to be drawing a needless amount of “nuclear power” and “data centre” comments that distract from the bigger and more acute issues.
@Matthew Donoghue: The Frnch are set to test the new Fusion Plasma reactor (mini-star) in 2025…. I believe.
@Keth Warsaw: they have a bit of a jump ahead of us. They started nuclear power around the 1970s or so in aversion l to rising oil prices.
@Dennis Laffey: Wrong. It takes about 5-7 years to build s nuclear power station.
@Matthew Donoghue: Lets locate the radioactive nuclear waste next to your house or flat.
@Don Hogan: ah but there is a difference between ‘building one’ and ‘one being built’. Between planning, environmental impacts, public feedback etc. (all necessary), it would take a lot longer than the actual build time. Contract tenders, legal challenges and so on.
Might be an idea to completely stop draining and cutting our bogs, as these can ameliorate flooding. Restoration of hillside woodland would presumably also help.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-20373296.html
In cities and towns, permeable surfaces and SuDS can do a lot to help against flooding. Urban forestation can help to reduce flooding and moderate ambient and surface temperatures.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_drainage_system
Just some ideas of many.
Big changes in the coastal area where I grew up..
A couple of farmers fields getting smaller all the time.
A house or 2 , a field or 2 disappeared.
And a massive group of sand dunes which used to great spot for camping in the summer, youth groups used to use it like this, the athletics club used to train on them, one lad used to sell sand off it, he never dreamed they would be gone
@Colm Molloy: maybe digging the grass up to sell the sand wasn’t the brightest idea
@Steve: These sand dunes were massive, no need to dig up the grass to get to the sand, this was a different era, one where it was normal to build with beach or coastal sand until they realised it was too salty and it wasn’t the best idea for the areas. Silly yes maybe.
Main reason they disappeared was the complete absence of coastal management, as an idea it never existed nor was feasible to pay someone to look after them, in those days.
Rabbit warrens running all through them too didn’t help.
Knockout punch was a massive storm that came right in over and took them all away
Hmm… The word ‘Urgent’ isn’t actually in the Government dictionary. However these future tense words/ phrases are: Must, Will, Should, Looking forward, Future.
Remember when we had holy water and statues and trinkets in our previous religious fascination? Well we now need a whole new host of similar nonsense practices to give the woke clowns something to appease their anxiety, and make it all good. Any suggestions?
@Marc Johns: I’d suggest we all start by taking pity on your attempt at trolling. Certainly brightened up my day.
don’t panic it’s all under control. Carbon taxes will save us .
have your say