Government ‘not doing enough’ on climate change

The Irish Government is not doing enough to tackle climate change as a new report warns of climate chaos unless major changes are made in all aspects of society.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has warned “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes” are needed in all aspects of society to avoid climate chaos.

It outlines the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and the action needed to stay below this threshold. Thew report points out global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 to stay within this threshold.

UN special envoy on climate change Mary Robinson said the Irish Government needs to do more to tackle the threat of climate change. “Ireland can do more. We are a laggard on climate change. We need to become a leader on climate change,” the former Irish president said.

Ms Robinson said Ireland needs to be serious about changing behaviour and this needs to be done now: “The warning is that we have to do this by 2030. It really is a very short window but it’s the only window that humanity has, that’s the important thing to remember. Our children and grandchildren will not thank us if we don’t take every step we can take. I have had this sense of urgency for quite a number of years now and here is this scientific report that speaks to that urgency.”

In June, the Climate Action Network Europe ranked Ireland in second last place in the EU for action and ambition on climate change, while in 2017, the Climate Change Performance Index placed Ireland as the worst performing country in Europe for action on climate change.

Professor Emeritus of Geography at Maynooth University, John Sweeney, said the “landmark” report highlights the scale of the threat Ireland now faced from climate change.

For Ireland, overshooting 1.5°C would accentuate our emerging problems of climate extremes and damage the economic prospects of our current young people. The report confirms that only by undertaking radical steps today to decarbonise our societies can we leave a legacy of a sustainable world for the next generation.

Chairman of An Taisce’s Climate Change Committee, Phil Kearney also called on the Government to commit to “fundamental” changes across a range of sectors in order to curb the threat of climate change.

However, Environment Minister Denis Naughten pointed out the Government had committed to directing almost €30bn under the National Development Plan to address the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient society. He also said the National Adaptation Framework sets out the national strategy to adapt to the threat posed by climate change.

Under the Framework, 12 priority sectors will prepare sectoral adaptation plans by 30 September next year, and adaptation planning at local authority level will also be introduced. The work undertaken under the Framework alongside adequate investment will be crucially important in moving us towards a more climate resilient Ireland,” he said.

Mr Naughten also said that the Government will invest €940m under the National Development Plan to proactively manage flood risks and reduce our vulnerability to certain impacts of climate change.