EPA - Ireland's Environment 2016 - An Assessment

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41 Chapter 3: Climate Change
of adaptation is to reduce vulnerability to the current
and projected impacts of climate change and increase
resilience. Adaptation also brings opportunity through
green growth, innovation, resilience and ecosystem services
enhancement. Key steps in adaptation actions are the
assessment of current vulnerabilities to weather extremes
and the adoption of gradual changes; determining how
these vulnerabilities can be reduced in the context of
trends and projected changes; and carrying out the actions
required to achieve these goals. Adaptation actions can be
seen as an effective response only if they are coupled with
the required mitigation actions. In this context, sectors and
community actors should link mitigation and adaptation
planning, investments and actions.
For Ireland, mitigation and adaptation actions are framed
and informed by UN, EU and national policy. These include
the UNFCC,2 the Kyoto Protocol,3 the UN Paris Agreement,4
the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, 5 the EU
Climate and Energy Package,6 the National Policy Position
on Climate Change (DECLG, 2014) and the Climate Action
and Low Carbon Development Act 2015.
2
3
4
5
6
The Paris Agreement
In December 2015, at a meeting of the
UNFCCC in Paris, a new global agreement
was reached to address climate change
(UN, 2015). The agreement aims to:
n hold the increase in the global average
temperature to well below 2°C above pre-
industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the
temperature increase to 1.5°C
n increase the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts
of climate change and foster climate resilience and
low GHG emissions development in a manner that
does not threaten food production
n make finance flows consistent with a pathway
towards low GHG emissions and climate-resilient
development.
To achieve this, GHG emissions must peak as soon
as possible and then be reduced rapidly in order
“to achieve a balance between anthropogenic
emissions by sources and removals by sinks of GHGs
in the second half of this century”.
The Agreement establishes a long-term adaptation
goal of “enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening
resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate
change, with a view to contributing to sustainable
development and ensuring an adequate adaptation
response in the context of the 2°C temperature
goal”. This makes it clear that, if mitigation activities
succeed in limiting the rise in global temperature, less
adaptation will be needed.
The Paris Agreement is expected to enter into force in
2020. Progress will be determined by a regular global
stocktake, which will assess how collective actions are
aligned with the ambitions of the agreement. This will
inform subsequent actions.
Figure 3.2 Global Sea Level Rise Data (Source: Church and White, 2011)
-200
-150
-100
-50
0
50
100
2010 2000 1990 1980 1970 1960 1950 1940 1930 1920 1910 1900 1890 1880
GMSL (mm) GMSL uncertainty (+ or - range) (mm)
Sea level (mm)