Report warns of climate threat

Low-lying power plants, vulnerable water supplies, railways and motorways are all at increased risk of the effects of climate change, according to a report from the Irish Academy of Engineering, released today.

The report - which was presented to Minister for the Environment John Gormley this morning - argues "failure to act now" will put society and the economy at an unacceptable risk of power blackouts, housing which is repeatedly flooded and water which is regularly contaminated.

According to the report changing rainfall patterns will affect water supplies, while rising sea levels will "inundate" coastal cities and towns.

It also predicts severe weather incidents will damage energy installations, hospitals, telecommunications, railways and other critical infrastructure.

Yet despite the risk,  the academy says the Government has no single agency advising it on how to adapt critical infrastructure to be safe from issues such as flooding or rising sea levels.

It recommends the setting up of a "risk register" of infrastructure vulnerable to flooding and other aspects of climate change such as storms. It also recommends planning for the protection of coastal cities at risk. A further recommendation is that Water Resource Authorities be set up in Northern Ireland and the Republic to manage the island's available water resources.

It claimed Ireland must adapt to climate change and carry out "a formal flood risk assessment for each critical asset".

"If we move now, significant economic benefits will accrue," said IAE  president Michael Hayden. "But if we do 'too little too late' we risk social and economic disaster" he said.

The 40-page report, Ireland at Risk: Critical Infrastructure - Adaptation for Climate Change, involved over 60 researchers, engineers, scientists, policy experts and administrators from North and South.

The full report is available from the Academy of Engineering website on www.iae.ie