Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

86 Chapter 4: Climate Change Impacts from both flooding and drought events include significant cascading and compound impacts on the water supply, biodiversity, the built environment, heritage sites and health. Tourism is an example of a sector that is highly exposed and vulnerable, as climate changes may lead to a lower environmental carrying capacity. There is a need for careful management to avoid putting sensitive and increasingly exposed and fragile heritage sites, environments and ecosystems at risk. Impacts from sea level rise, which will continue during the 21st century and beyond, will result in the increased frequency of coastal flooding and erosion, with significant impacts for built and cultural assets, including coastal and heritage sites situated in proximity to the coast and on estuaries. Ireland depends on critical infrastructure for delivering public services, economic growth and a sustainable environment. Transport infrastructure is exposed to increases in sea levels and flooding. For energy infrastructure, the key risks are extreme wind speeds, increased precipitation and saturated soils, given their impacts on the electricity distribution network, with flooding also a cause for concern. For information and communications technology infrastructure, extreme wind speeds and increased storminess are key concerns. Failures in critical infrastructure can cascade across other sectors and present a multisector risk. For example, as many sectors electrify to reduce emissions, power supply interruption would have a significantly increased impact on transport, domestic heating, industry and health than previously. Storm over Poolbeg, Dublin 3. International, EU and national policy contexts This decade has brought a significant ramping up in national and international climate legislation and policy that aim to drive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and support adaptation and resilience, to deliver on the aims of the Paris Agreement. The pace and scale of climate action implementation, however, are not yet on track to match the ambition of this legislation and policy at the global or national level. Rapid and sustained action can have significant co-benefits for health, wellbeing, jobs, businesses and biodiversity while reducing vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change. Table 4.1 sets out the international, EU and national policy objectives and targets that Ireland has committed to meet (summarised in Figure 4.4) Table 4.1  Ireland’s climate policy objectives and targets Policy objectives and targets Source Target year International Limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre- industrial levels Paris Agreement 2015 (United Nations) Long-term global goal Balance GHG emissions and removals as informed by best available science Paris Agreement 2015 (United Nations) Second half of 21st century Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 2030