New adaptation plans target flooding, storms, and infrastructure risks across communities and industry
Ireland - The government has approved 13 Sectoral Adaptation Plans (SAPs) to support resilience, competitiveness and economic growth in the face of severe climate change impacts.
The Programme for Government commits to supporting communities, ecosystems, and businesses as climate risks continue to rise. The climate change adaptation measures
outlined in these plans show how key sectors are preparing not only for the impacts we are already facing but also those that will worsen into the future because of climate change.Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:
"Ireland is, and will continue to play, its part in tackling climate change. The science is clear and failure to act is a risk too great for our people, our society and our economy. This means progressing our work to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years, while also adapting to the increasing impacts of climate change in our communities. Risks from climate change are faced by all of us, by all parts of society and all parts of the economy. More severe storm damage, flooding, drought and coastal erosion threaten our homes, businesses and infrastructure. We must continue to build climate resilience. Adapting to the escalating impacts of climate change is a central focus for us all."
Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O'Brien, who brought the plans to government on behalf of sectoral Ministers, said:
"Over the last few years, we have all seen the increase in the frequency and the intensity of storms including Storm Babet, Storm Darragh and Storm Éowyn. Many of us have been significantly impacted by the effects of these storms through flooding, power cuts and breakdowns in communications systems. The plans that government approved today set out the actions and measures that will be taken over the next few years and the adaptation objectives over the longer term to ensure that Ireland's society, infrastructure, economy, and competitiveness are resilient to the impacts of climate change."
Each SAP has been developed in cooperation with other sectors utilising Met Éireann climate data. The SAPs, informed by the National Climate Change Risk Assessment, identify the key risks faced across the sectors and the approach being taken to address these risks and build climate resilience for the future.
The implementation of the actions in the SAPs is the responsibility of each sectoral Minister. However, to provide for regular scrutiny and monitoring of adaptation actions at the highest level of government, an adaptation Taskforce is being established by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE).
The Taskforce will be chaired at Assistant Secretary level and will provide for more regular and formalised senior-level consideration in addressing cross-cutting issues and transboundary risks and efforts to address them in a more holistic way. It will enable escalation where barriers or delays are identified.
The SAPs can be viewed on DCEE's website.
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