Pity the children as climate change threatens to flood Irish cities out of existence

THE great-grandchildren of youngsters starting school today will never know Ireland’s main cities, if climate changes are not addressed to prevent catastrophic flooding of the country’s coastal areas.

An alarming study predicts some 300 square kilometres of coastal land could disappear permanently by the year 2100 if current rises in temperature continue, threatening the existence of Cork, Dublin and Galway. Coastal and river flooding would also cause massive damage to Limerick and potentially make the city uninhabitable.

Less dramatic but nonetheless serious flooding will make life difficult in coastal areas within a much shorter time period, potentially beginning in as little as 14 years, when the upward trend in temperatures begins to move towards danger point.