Today\u2019s confirmation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that Ireland is not prepared for the potentially catastrophic impact of climate change is extremely concerning, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on climate, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe findings of the first-ever National Climate Change Risk Assessment confirm our worst fears \u2013 that the country faces immediate critical risks from extreme weather events, which will become increasingly catastrophic as the century progresses.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany aspects of how we function as a society will be affected by very strong winds and flooding, including the security of our power supply and other vital services. Urgent action will be required to provide protections in the face of this growing threat to homes, businesses, farms \u2013 and even lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report\u2019s conclusion that Ireland is not prepared for these future risks will come as no surprise to those most impacted by Storm \u00c9owyn earlier this year, where hundreds of thousands of customers were left without electricity or water supply \u2013 some for several weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe country\u2019s inability to withstand extreme weather events was laid bare during the last major storm \u2013 and we can expect more of the same in the future if the government does not urgently get to grips with its climate action responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to invest now in climate action, while also putting essential protections in place to maintain critical infrastructure and safeguard homes, businesses and farms during violent storms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must also improve the process of identifying our most vulnerable citizens \u2013 and prioritising supports for them \u2013 when extreme weather events hit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are already seeing the effects of climate change in real-time. The government cannot continue to bury its head in the sand.\u201d<\/p>\n
June 4, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today\u2019s confirmation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that Ireland is not prepared for the potentially catastrophic impact of climate change is extremely concerning, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on climate, said: \u201cThe findings of the first-ever National Climate Change Risk Assessment confirm our worst fears […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[405,268,7,662],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release","category-storm"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n