Climate Change Report by EPA Highlights Dangerous Possibilities

The EPA released a report looking at the impact of climate change on Ireland in the coming years, since its only 30 pages long, I recommend you read it. However below the fold I have copied the table in the report looking at likely outcomes from temperature changes in Ireland. By the way, that sea level rise is thought to be in the region of 3m over time. Not great news for many coastal towns.

Source: Implications of EU Climate Change Protection Target for Ireland pp. 19

Dick Roche was helpful in pointing out the obvious. “Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, said it left no doubt about the potential consequences of not taking steps quickly to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions. He added that the report was perfectly right in pointing out that a solution could only be reached through international co-operation.”

While the Greens, SF and Fine Gael don’t have a press release out yet, Eamon Gilmore is quite right to point out that we have made little headway on emissions reduction rather relying on the hundreds of millions of Euro that the people of Ireland are generating to buy our way out of trouble. While Kyoto does provide for emissions trading, the point is that simply buying someone else’s carbon quota doesn’t represent a commitment to addressing carbon emissions, it seems more like a tool to help in adjustment to lower carbon emissions not a constant carbon policy.