CCAC warns that Ireland must prepare for climate extremes

Ireland must stop treating floods, storms, droughts and extreme heat as individual emergencies and begin preparing systematically for a climate of increasingly severe extremes, the Climate Change Advisory Council has warned.

It said the country's preparations are failing to keep pace with the growing risks, with 31 of 54 major flood-relief schemes prioritised eight years ago still at preliminary design stage and major schemes taking an average of 11 years to complete.

Launching its latest assessment of Ireland's preparedness for climate change, the Council said the country is increasingly moving between weather extremes.

Storm Chandra and prolonged rainfall earlier this year exposed vulnerabilities in homes, transport and critical infrastructure, while unprecedented temperatures during the summer highlighted growing risks to water supplies, agriculture, health services and vulnerable communities.

The Council said Ireland needs a fundamental shift from responding to individual disasters towards preparing in advance for the full range of climate extremes.

Professor Peter Thorne, Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council's Adaptation Committee, said Ireland was already living with the consequences of a changing climate.

"We cannot keep treating extreme events as one-off emergencies, simply repairing the damage while people continue to live in fear of the next major event.

"We need to build back better and take measures to protect vulnerable homes, communities, infrastructure and public services before the next crisis hits," he added.

The Council is also warning that pressure to increase housing supply must not result in development creating additional long-term climate risks.

Over the past six years, councillors have proposed rezoning 288 sites already identified as being at risk of flooding.

As local authorities review their development plans to significantly increase the amount of land available for housing, the Council said decisions must continue to be based on the latest flood-risk information.

It said development in flood-prone areas must be avoided.

It also warns that the areas exposed to flooding will expand as the climate changes, meaning some places which have not flooded in the past will become increasingly vulnerable.

The Council's report is particularly critical of the length of time being taken to deliver flood protection with major flood-relief schemes currently taking an average of 11 years to complete.

It said technical expertise and staffing within both the Office of Public Works and local authorities need to be strengthened to accelerate their delivery.

The OPW currently spends around €100 million a year on flood-relief schemes.

Fifty-six major schemes have been completed, protecting more than 13,500 properties and avoiding an estimated €2 billion in damage.

Altogether around 100 flood relief schemes are currently at various stages of design, planning or construction.

The Council is particularly critical of the ten updated Sectoral Adaptation Plans published last November.

It said they are not comprehensively costed, lack sufficient committed funding and measurable targets, and do not consistently align proposed actions with the climate risks that have been identified.

The Council has also expressed considerable disappointment that the permanent Extreme Weather Event Assistance Scheme promised in the 2025 Programme for Government has still not been established.

It said the absence of a permanent and properly resourced scheme remains a critical gap for households, communities, farmers and businesses affected by extreme weather.

The report also highlights a significant gap in flood insurance.

Around one in every 20 buildings in Ireland has limited access to flood insurance, with more than half of the problem concentrated in counties Dublin, Cork, Louth, Clare and Kildare.

The average annual cost of inland flooding is estimated at approximately €101 million, with around 89% of losses associated with properties with limited or no insurance cover.

The Council said considerably more also needs to be done to help individual households and communities prepare for extreme weather.

It suggests targeted grants or low-interest loans may be needed to help vulnerable households install their own flood barriers, improve drainage or make buildings more flood resistant.

It also wants permanent community resilience programmes established to help people prepare for, respond to and recover from floods and other extreme weather events.

The Council is also calling for much greater use of natural measures to reduce flooding, including restoring floodplains, re-wetting drained peatlands, creating ponds and wetlands and planting appropriate woodland.

In urban areas, measures such as green roofs, rain gardens and permeable surfaces can hold back heavy rainfall before it reaches and potentially overwhelms drainage systems.

It also said greater recognition needs to be given to the health and social consequences of extreme weather.

Research commissioned by the Council found that flooding can have significant and long-lasting psychological impacts, including anxiety, stress, trauma, depression and social isolation.

It said these impacts should be treated as a public-health priority within climate adaptation planning.

With Budget 2027 approaching, the Council said the Government now needs to establish not only how much adapting to climate change will cost, but how much delaying action or failing to act will ultimately cost households, businesses, communities and the State.

Professor Thorne said adaptation was not an alternative to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and that both needed to happen.

"Government needs to put a price on inaction to improve investment decisions and track delivery, fund the measures we know are needed and move from plans to delivery," he said.

"Climate resilience will cost money, but the cost of inaction will be far greater," he added.