Global warming - Time to act on climate change is now

THE urgent need for Ireland to plan ahead for the negative impacts of global warming was graphically illustrated at the weekend when over a month’s rainfall was dumped on some parts of the country in 24 hours.

There could hardly be a more dramatic scene setter for yesterday’s report on climate change from the Marine Institute which gives a national context to some of the biggest environmental problems facing humanity.

By any yardstick, global warming promises to have major repercussions for Ireland. As the Earth enters a new period of climate change, the report predicts the seas around our coast will get warmer.

This will have a domino effect, making winters wetter, summers dryer and storms more intense. In this dire scenario, it would be hard to overstate the impact of these developments on future planning and resource development.

Part of a series of reports produced by a variety of State-run research bodies, the document has major implications for travel and transport between this island nation, continental Europe and the rest of the world.

According to the Marine Institute, climate change will have a tangible impact on coastal and offshore structures. In low lying counties, coastal erosion will accelerate and flooding will become a regular feature of life.

The blunt message of this report is that Ireland needs to plan ahead if it is to cope with the repercussions of climate change.

This is not a crystal ball picture of weather patterns in the next century. What the marine experts are talking about are events that could occur by 2050 at the outside. In other words, a child born today will be 30 or 50 years old when Ireland begins to feel the knock-on effects of global warming.

On the international front, US President George W Bush, who takes his cue from industry, refuses to admit mankind is entering a new and dangerous era as global temperature is fuelled by man-made greenhouse gasses.

Most industrial nations espouse the principles of the 1997 Kyoto accord aimed at cutting carbon dioxide output by industry. Funded by corporate business and the oil barons, Mr Bush ignores calls for America, the worst offender on the planet, to cut greenhouse gasses.

Yet, the impacts of climate change are already being felt. As the Earth gets warmer, glaciers and sea ice are melting and the oceans are rising. Across the world, coastal cities will flood, hurricanes and tornadoes will happen more often while lakes and rivers could run dry. Crops will be hit by drought, and there will be less drinking water.

Against this backdrop, it would be foolish of the Irish Government to ignore the advice of its own marine experts.

There is a compelling case for planning ahead so the nation will be prepared for the events outlined in the report. As one senior researcher at the institute reported, investments made 30 or 40 years ago are benefiting Ireland today.

While this country is not renowned for long-term planning, the experts have given a loud and clear warning on what needs to be done. Anticipating change and investing for the future would be preferable to a knee-jerk reaction in 30 years’ time.

Climate change must be taken into account in the planning of regional and national strategies. As one expert succinctly put it, Ireland needs to climate-proof future developments.

It would be a travesty if the Government consigned this important report on the future planning and development of maritime resources to gather dust on a department shelf.