East Cork and Waterford in direct danger as 'sea levels rise at alarming rate' 

Fears have been expressed about the impact of rising sea levels on towns like Youghal, Cobh and Midleton. Picture John Hennessy

Ireland cannot afford to wait any longer for a national coastal risk strategy with sea levels rising at an “alarming and startling” rate – putting the likes of East Cork and Waterford directly in danger.

Ireland already lags far behind the UK and the Netherlands in what is becoming a “truly frightening” future scenario, according to Cork East TD, David Stanton.

In May 2020, Irish firm Gamma Location Intelligence, which provides map and data analysis to insurance companies and local authorities for risk assessment purposes, found that approximately 62,000 homes are at risk in the next 30 years, as well as thousands of businesses.

Mr Stanton said he is worried that vast swathes of East Cork and Waterford, as well as Galway and the Shannon Estuary, were particularly vulnerable.

The former minister of state raised the topic of coastal vulnerability in the Dáil in recent days, saying the proposed national strategy needed to happen as soon as possible.

“In my constituency, for example, Midleton, Youghal, Cobh and Shanagarry will be impacted, as will Waterford, Westport and Galway. This is going to happen; it cannot be stopped...The sea levels are going to continue to rise.

“The UK has established a flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy action plan and it is in place. The Dutch saw this coming - they would have, of course - and in 2008, they established a serious action plan" he said

As for what will happen when the sea continues to rise, the predictions are quite frightening. It is difficult to predict but scientists say that by the end of the century, sea levels could have risen by one metre. 

"We might not think that is a lot, but the impact that would have on our towns, cities and utilities would be very significant,” he said.

A national coastal change management strategy steering group was established in 2020, when it was acknowledged that two million people in Ireland could be impacted by the changes in sea level rise.

Mr Stanton said planning must begin urgently.

“There is no point waiting until the seawater is up to our knees and then saying we should have planned for this 20 years ago. 

Now is the time to put a plan in place with a series of actions and strategies to mitigate this. There is no point waiting until it is too late.

Minister of State, Mary Butler, speaking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, said that the Government “recognises the clear challenge posed by rising sea levels for the country as a whole and for coastal communities in particular”.

The interdepartmental group on managing coastal change met initially in September 2020, to “scope out a strategy”, she said, and has progressed through a “series of meetings” since.

“The findings of the steering group are being finalised and these will be presented to Government for consideration shortly. It is envisaged these findings will provide a framework for key decisions to be taken by relevant stakeholders to best manage the Irish coastline in a manner that most effectively mitigates future risks,” Ms Butler said.