After months of heavy grey clouds it may be hard to believe that climate change – or more accurately – global “heating” is having any effect on Ireland. Yet despite the gloomy and cool conditions Ireland’s climate is changing in line with the predictions of climate science. The entire business model for Irish agricultural exports is reliant on a stable climate but this is no longer guaranteed. Driving the sea-level rise is cumulative ice loss from the world’s glaciers and from the Greenland ice sheet which reached a record high in 2023. There is little point trying to “balance” the existential threats posed by climate change and loss of nature with snippets of good news, however welcome they are.

Source: The Irish Times July 30, 2024 17:37 UTC