Latest news with #NationalClimateChangeRiskAssessment
Agriland
5 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Report: Risk to crop yields as Ireland projected to get warmer and wetter
A new report that reveals 'where, when and how' climates risks could likely impact on Ireland warns that it will get warmer and wetter, which in turn could reduce crop yields. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) today (Wednesday, June 4) published Ireland's first National Climate Change Risk Assessment report, which identifies 115 risks from projected changes in climate conditions. These risks are likely to impact on energy, transport, communications, water security, public health, food production and supply, and ecosystems. According to the EPA, it identified a total of 43 significant risks for Ireland. Source: EPA (June 2025) Laura Burke, EPA director general said today:'We know that Ireland is being impacted by climate change already. 'This comprehensive assessment highlights the need for additional urgent action to ensure Ireland is sustainably resilient to the risks that we currently face, and will increasingly experience, in the coming decades. 'Recent events, such as Storms Darragh and Éowyn, demonstrated how damage to critical infrastructure such as energy, water supply, transport and communications networks in turn give rise to impacts on human health, biodiversity, and the financial system.' In the report, the EPA also stipulates that some 'significant risks' require urgent action within the next five years. These are: The risk of disruption and damage to communications and energy distribution infrastructure due to extreme wind; The risk of disruption and damage to buildings and transport infrastructure due to extreme wind, coastal erosion, and coastal flooding. Climate risk assessment report The report also details that by the end of this century 'extreme heat' is identified as a priority risk. According to the EPA, Ireland's climate is projected to get warmer with average temperatures increasing across all seasons and on an annual basis, while the number of heatwaves is also forecast to increase. The National Climate Risk Assessment report also identifies potential 'opportunities' as a result of climate change for certain economic sectors, including a longer season for outdoor activities which could boost tourism-related businesses. According to the EPA, there could also be a longer growing season and 'improved livestock nutrition and grazing because of higher average temperatures'.
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
EPA identifies 115 risks to Ireland from climate change
Disruption and damage to Ireland's energy system and built environment from extreme wind events are among 115 risks the country faces due to climate change, according to the EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency has published its first National Climate Change Risk Assessment. It is calling for urgent action within the next five years to increase the resilience of Ireland's energy transmission and communications infrastructure. The report says it is possible that climate change might bring fewer extreme wind storms in the future, but warns that when the big winds come, they will be stronger and do more damage than ever before. What are the risks that Ireland faces? It says Ireland's exposure to extreme wind is at a critical level. Consequently, making energy and communications infrastructure more resilient is a priority that needs to be addressed in the next five years. The National Climate Change Risk Assessment report also notes how other critical services and functions are severely compromised when electricity and communications systems are damaged. This was the experience across the country due to Storms Darragh and Éowyn earlier this year. The EPA added disruption and damage to buildings and transport infrastructure as a result of extreme wind, coastal erosion, and coastal flooding to the list of significant risks that must be addressed within the next five years. Ireland's coastline is already experiencing the impacts of coastal erosion and flooding. The report warns that buildings and transport infrastructure concentrated in coastal areas in and around Dublin, the southeast, and the southwest are particularly exposed to coastal erosion and coastal flooding. Inland flooding is another priority risk that needs to be addressed. The report highlights how changes in precipitation patterns will result in an increase in the frequency and severity of river, surface water, and groundwater flooding events. It says the built environment, which includes transport infrastructure and buildings, is particularly exposed because hard surfaces exacerbate flood risks. The EPA is warning that by mid-century, those risks will have increased to a critical level, with consequences for both physical and mental human health. EPA Director General Laura Burke said the report "highlights the need for additional urgent action to ensure Ireland is sustainably resilient to the risks that we currently face, and will increasingly experience, in the coming decades." What are the opportunities? The report says warmer temperatures, increased precipitation, and warmer seas present potential opportunities for certain economic sectors. It identified five so-called "opportunities" where it thinks climate change could benefit the country. It suggests climate change could bring improved physical and mental health for people from spending more time outdoors due to higher average temperatures. A longer season for outdoor activities will encourage economic activity related to tourism, also due to higher average temperatures. For agriculture in Ireland, higher average temperatures could result in a longer growing season and improved livestock nutrition and grazing. There is potential, too, for increased hydropower generation because of increased rainfall. Ireland could also benefit from greater shellfish growth and marine species diversity due to warmer seas.
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Urgent action needed as EPA identifies ‘significant risks' due to climate change
There is 'significant risk' of disruption and damage to communications as well as energy distribution infrastructure due to extreme wind, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said. Ireland's exposure to these risks was recently demonstrated through the unprecedented number of power and communications outages from Storm Eowyn in February. Urgent action is also needed within five years over the threat of disruption and damage to buildings and transport infrastructure due to extreme wind, coastal erosion and coastal flooding. Ireland's coastline is already experiencing the impacts of coastal erosion and flooding. The EPA has identified 115 risks from projected changes in climate conditions, 43 of which fall into the significant category. Additional significant risks it says should be prioritised for further investigation in the next five years include risks to the built environment and human health from flooding and heat. The agency has also projected potential 'catastrophic' impacts on certain sectors by the end of the century. It comes as part of the National Climate Change Risk Assessment which is designed to give government, businesses, and communities the best available information to prepare for resilience against future impacts. The risks span all sectors of the economy, society, and environment from energy, transport and communications to water security, public health, food production and supply and ecosystems. Ireland's climate is projected to get warmer, with average temperature increasing across all seasons and on an annual basis – while the number of heatwaves is also projected to increase. In addition, the country is set to become wetter overall with an increase in average rainfall. That rainfall will come as part of increased seasonality, meaning wetter winters and drier summers – with more frequent droughts projected for summer and spring months. The EPA also said there will be an increased exposure to coastal flooding with a projected rise in sea levels. While there is a projection for a minor decrease in average windspeeds, northern Europe could be affected by fewer but stronger windstorms – although projections remain uncertain. EPA director general Laura Burke said the report 'clearly shows how risks cascade across sectors'. She said: 'Recent events, such as Storms Darragh and Eowyn, demonstrated how damage to critical infrastructure such as energy, water supply, transport and communications networks in turn give rise to impacts on human health, biodiversity and the financial system. 'Addressing these risks in an integrated and consistent way is key to achieving our national climate resilience objective.' The report also identifies potential opportunities arising out of warmer temperatures, increased precipitation, and warmer seas. These included a longer season for outdoor activities with potential economic benefits through tourism, increased hydropower generation due to rainfall, greater marine species diversity, and a longer growing season and improved livestock nutrition. However, it also warns of the potential impacts on Ireland of the experiences of climate change abroad. The report says there will be a need to manage risks associated with food security, supply chains, economic stability, and migration. Ireland relies heavily on imports for vegetables, fruits, grains, fertilisers and animal feed. Disruptions in the supply of food due to extreme weather events, can lead to shortages, increased food prices, and potential food insecurity, especially for vulnerable households. Climate change is increasingly recognised as a critical threat to global supply chains, impacting logistics, manufacturing, and energy networks. These disruptions can lead to significant economic losses and supply shortages worldwide, including in Ireland. Meanwhile, extreme weather events caused by climate change can lead to forced displacement and changes in international migration patterns.
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
EPA identify 115 risks Ireland faces from climate change
The Environmental Protection Agency has identified a total of 115 risks in its first ever National Climate Change Risk Assessment published today. The agency said disruption and damage to Ireland's energy system and to its built environment from extreme wind events were the most critical climate change risks currently facing the country. It is calling for urgent action within the next five years to increase the resilience of Ireland's energy transmission and communications infrastructure. The report says it is possible that climate change might bring fewer extreme wind storms in the future, but warns that when the big winds come, they will be stronger and do more damage than ever before. What are the risks that Ireland faces? It says Ireland's exposure to extreme wind is at a critical level. Consequently, making energy and communications infrastructure more resilient is a priority that needs to be addressed in the next five years, it says. The National Climate Change Risk Assessment report also notes how other critical services and functions are severely compromised when electricity and communications systems are damaged. This was the experience nationwide due to Storms Darragh and Éowyn earlier this year. The EPA has added disruption and damage to buildings and transport infrastructure as a result of extreme wind, coastal erosion, and coastal flooding to the list of significant risks that must be addressed within the next five years. Ireland's coastline is already experiencing the impacts of coastal erosion and flooding. Today's report warns that buildings and transport infrastructure concentrated in coastal areas in and around Dublin, the southeast, and the southwest are particularly exposed to coastal erosion and coastal flooding. Inland flooding is another priority risk that needs to be addressed. The report highlights how changes in precipitation patterns will result in an increase in the frequency and severity of river, surface water, and groundwater flooding events. It says the built environment, which includes transport infrastructure and buildings, is particularly exposed because hard surfaces exacerbate flood risks. The EPA is warning that by mid-century, those risks will have increased to a critical level, with consequences for both physical and mental human health. EPA Director General, Laura Burke said the report "highlights the need for additional urgent action to ensure Ireland is sustainably resilient to the risks that we currently face, and will increasingly experience, in the coming decades." What are the opportunities? The report says warmer temperatures, increased precipitation, and warmer seas present potential opportunities for certain economic sectors. It identified five so-called "opportunities" where it thinks climate change could benefit the country. It suggests climate change could bring improved physical and mental health for people from spending more time outdoors due to higher average temperatures. A longer season for outdoor activities will encourage economic activity related to tourism, also due to higher average temperatures. For agriculture in Ireland, higher average temperatures could result in a longer growing season and improved livestock nutrition and grazing. There is potential, too, for increased hydropower generation because of increased rainfall.
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
EPA finds over '100 key risks' to the State posed by climate change
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified more than 100 key risks to the State posed by climate change, with extreme wind, coastal erosion, and flooding among the biggest threats, with impacts that can cascade across the economy. In a major report, it says the State must take urgent action within the next five years to minimise the risk posed to our communications and energy distribution infrastructure by extreme wind, and to minimise the risk to our buildings and transport infrastructure from extreme wind, coastal erosion, and coastal flooding. It says the State must also prioritise addressing additional significant risks to the built environment and human health from flooding and heat. These are among the key findings in the National Climate Change Risk Assessment, which is the first comprehensive study of its kind in Ireland. The study was undertaken by the EPA in collaboration with government departments, State agencies, and other stakeholders to assess where, when, and how climate risks are likely to impact Ireland over the coming decades. It has identified 115 individual risks from projected changes in climate conditions, of which 43 are deemed significant risks. The EPA says the significant risks requiring urgent action within the next five years are: The risk of disruption and damage to communications and energy distribution infrastructure due to extreme wind; The risk of disruption and damage to buildings and transport infrastructure due to extreme wind, coastal erosion, and coastal flooding. It also identified risks that need to be addressed across a raft of other sectors, including water security, public health, and food production and supply. EPA director general Laura Burke said we know Ireland is being impacted by climate change already, and this report provides the best available evidence and analysis to inform climate adaptation and resilience measures at a national level. 'Recent events, such as the storms Darragh and Éowyn, demonstrated how damage to critical infrastructure such as energy, water supply, transport, and communications networks, in turn, give rise to impacts on human health, biodiversity, and the financial system,' she said. 'Addressing these risks in an integrated and consistent way is key to achieving our national climate resilience objective.' Eimear Cotter, director of the EPA's office of evidence and assessment, said this report underscores the need for immediate action in the next five years to enhance the resilience of Ireland's critical infrastructure to climate change. 'The risks with the most consequential and highest urgency ratings relate to extreme wind, coastal erosion, and coastal flooding. These must be prioritised in adaptation and resilience actions,' she said. This study will support the development of various sectoral adaptation plans by government departments, and guide the development of local authority adaptation plans. Meanwhile, figures from the Department of Social Protection show there were 93,007 applications registered in respect of 75,733 people, totalling almost €12.8m, for the humanitarian assistance scheme that was opened after extensive damage caused by Storm Éowyn in January. TG4's 7LÁ programme found that Galway and Mayo accounted for over half of all the applicants. Galway had the highest number of applications, with 30,592, Mayo the second highest with 17,303, and Roscommon the third highest with 8,702 applications. There have been just over 52,600 successful applications for the humanitarian assistance scheme in relation to Storm Éowyn, resulting in payouts of just over €12.8m, with others still under consideration. Some 22,149 applicants whose claims have been decided but who have not yet been awarded a payment. Read More Four billion endured extra month of extreme heat due to climate change – report
