Climate Change

The energy from the sun passes through the atmosphere and warms the surface of the earth. As the heat rises back towards space, greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, trap some of the sun’s heat in the atmosphere and reflect it back to earth. These GHGs create a type of warming blanket over the earth, behaving in a similar way to glass in a greenhouse.

An increase in the intensity of storms has also been observed. We have already witnessed the impact of such extreme weather changes, e.g. Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, 2005, and Hurricane Sandy in New York, 2012. Changing migratory patterns of birds has also been observed, and according to the IPCC report, significant changes in biological systems are consistent with the anticipated changes as a result of global warming.

However, if climate change continues at its present pace, it is likely that rising sea levels will cause a vast amount of flooding across the planet. This would especially affect small islands and island nations such as the Maldives, and low-lying countries such as The Netherlands and Bangladesh. Weather conditions are likely to become increasingly extreme and storms are likely to intensify. Much productive land may also be lost to desert. Habitats may come under threat and be lost, while many endangered species may become extinct.

In Ireland, Regional Climate Models (RCMs) based on outputs from Met Éireann have been developed to make predictions on changes in our climate. Between the years 2021-2060, it is predicted that there will be a mean monthly temperature increase by between 1.25 and 1.5 degrees Celsius. Significant changes are expected in rainfall. It is likely to decrease in June by about 10%, and increase in December by between 10% in the south-east and 25% in the north-west. Such winter increases in rainfall will raise the risk of flooding. Atlantic storms are also expected to become more frequent and intense.

The latest research carried out by Met Éireann, Ireland's Climate: The Road Ahead, was published towards the end of 2013.

In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established to provide independent Assessment Reports on the latest scientific, technical and socio-economic research on climate change. These reports are used to advise many policy makers on how to adapt to climate change.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which entered into force in 1994, and the subsequent Kyoto Protocol which entered into force in 2005, sets binding targets on the signatory countries to reduce carbon emissions. The Kyoto Protocol first commitment period aimed to reduce overall GHG emissions by an average of 5% below 1990 levels by 2012. For the Kyoto Protocol second commitment period, Parties committed to reducing GHG emissions by at least 18 percent below 1990 levels in the eight-year period from 2013 to 2020.

On a national level, legislation has been enacted to allow for emissions trading by companies who emit greenhouse gases. This is a cap and trade scheme that sets a price on carbon emissions. Details of this scheme can be found on the EPA website and details of all environmental legislation can be found on the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government's website.