Climate Minister Eamon Ryan has said that Ireland should consider moving its critical infrastructure inland to avoid climate change-induced flooding events, and has said he’s glad that climate measures aren’t a “divisive issue” in Ireland.
The remarks were made today during a radio appearance on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, as the Green Party leader discussed his government’s Climate Action Plan 2024.
During the course of the interview, Ryan was asked about the “stark warning” by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about what would happen to the planet due to current levels of climate change.
“Given that [the global temperature increase is] hovering around 1.5 degrees at the moment, do we need at this stage…to be looking at moving critical infrastructure away from our coastline, accepting there will be more flooding, doing much, much more on flood defences…?” the interviewer asked, adding that communities around Ireland felt the State was “not moving quickly enough” on such measures.
“We do,” agreed Ryan, who added: “We have to both adapt to the climate change we know is coming, and yes, we need flood protection.”
Notably, the remarks come just months after Ryan had previously called for up to 1,200 homes to be built on Dublin Port, while criticising current plans to expand the port’s capacity.
He said that instead of expanding the port, a number of sites should be used to build large housing developments.
“There are 3 potential Dublin Port sites that I believe should be used for housing,” he said in a leaflet which went out to his constituents in July.
“These sites are close to the city centre, and could provide up to 1,200 social, affordable and cost rental homes.”
When subsequently asked by Gript if this was a good idea in light of his own party’s warnings of coastal flooding, Ryan said he is “absolutely convinced that we can protect that Dublin Port core area” after reviewing the assessment of coastal protection by the Geological Survey of Ireland.
“There are other areas along the coast that have more difficulties, [but] that wasn’t one of the areas where they see sea-level rise causing a problem,” he said.
Irish Climate Minister Eamon Ryan defends his idea of building 1,200 homes on Dublin's coastal port, despite his party's warnings of flooding and sea-level rise due to climate change devastating coastal cities. Question by @Ben_Scallan.#gript pic.twitter.com/VP9CaRKOVh
— gript (@griptmedia) October 24, 2023
During the Morning Ireland interview, it was also put to Ryan that the “level of change” being asked of people when it came to climate policy was “too much,” and “the momentum in 2024 seems to be switching against all this change.”
“You’re right,” Ryan conceded, but said that Ireland was in a unique position, because Irish climate policy is not a “divisive issue.”
“One of the reasons why I think Ireland can be good at this is I don’t think that we’ve gone down the road that they have, for example, in America, where the climate issue is a divisive identity issue,” he said.
“Because that doesn’t serve anyone – the scale of change we need to make has to involve everyone, has to benefit every place.
“…That’s really important we maintain that – that we don’t go down the route that the Dutch, the Germans, the Americans and others have gone down, where this becomes a divisive issue.”