Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

108 Chapter 4: Climate Change Key chapter messages 1. The science is clear – climate change is already having an impact on people, animals and plants in Ireland. The evidence is unequivocable, Ireland is being affected by climate change now, and the severity of the impacts is likely to increase significantly in the coming years. 2. Ireland needs to be resilient to ongoing and future climate change impacts. The implementation of climate adaptation measures is currently too slow and fragmented. More cross-sectoral and integrated adaptation actions can deliver multiple benefits. Doing better requires more financing, working with people and nature, monitoring and evaluating outcomes and increasing public and private sector involvement. 3. Ireland is not currently projected to achieve its 2030 emissions reduction targets or to meet national or EU reduction targets. Despite Irish climate action ambitions, significantly faster progress is needed to decarbonise all sectors of Ireland’s economy and implement adaptation actions to deliver a resilient and sustainable future for the benefit of all society. 4. It is critical that people and communities are supported to achieve the changes required to address climate change. To overcome the practical barriers to climate action, and to ensure that objectives are both achievable and equitable, understanding the beliefs, attitudes and challenges facing people in Ireland is crucial. Policy should be designed and implemented so that the desirable action becomes the default action.