Climate Change Research

In Ireland funding has been granted to institutions such as the Marine Institute for various research projects to further investigate and inform on this worldwide dilemma. The Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units (ICARUS) carry out research projects with particular emphasis on Ireland, concerning past climate trends and causes, regional climate modelling and assessing impacts for the future. Globally the trend for climate change research covers the physical and scientific aspects of climate change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has put in place a number of task forces and working groups that assess other aspects of climate change such as the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems. The IPCC work at developing and defining internationally agreed methodology to report and calculate greenhouse gases. They also assess options for mitigating climate change that prevent and limit emissions which promote activities to remove them from the atmosphere altogether.

The question is regularly asked “What can we do about climate change?”. Through research we have discovered that there are ways to combat climate change and that the reduction of carbon emissions on a global scale is imperative. Reduced carbon emissions can be achieved firstly by educating and providing information on the ways in which human activity contributes to the earth’s CO₂ emissions. These emissions are mainly emitted through transport, land clearance, the production and consumption of food, fuels, wood, manufactured goods, materials and buildings. By making slight adjustments in our everyday lives, important results can be observed that decrease the amount of energy needed for production and also the dependence on carbon emitting fuels. Reductions in our carbon footprint can also be made within in the commercial fishing sector by identifying ways of minimising species loss. More energy efficient practises for offshore drilling would also reduce carbon emissions due to the burning off of excess hydrocarbon gas at the well heads as well as more carefully planned mitigation and adaptation strategies in the likelihood of environmental disasters occurring. Humans rely heavily on the oceans in order to regulate oxygen levels and weather patterns and to provide food and effective medicines from biochemical components of marine organisms to combat illness and cancer.   When the balance of the earth’s oceans is altered the consequences can be critical and the future uncertain for human life.