Ireland is facing more extreme weather with increasing droughts and floods due to global climate change, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned today.
In a report prepared for the Minister of the Environment, Mr Cullen, the EPA said water supplies in the east of the country would come under increasing threat and that there would be more regular seasonal flooding.
Climate Change - Scenarios and Impacts for Irelandsuggests marked changes in future rainfall patterns with a 10 per cent rise in winter rainfall and a decrease of more than 40 per cent in summer rainfall for the south and east coasts.
Average summer temperatures will rise by two degrees in the midlands, according to the report, while winters will become 1.5 degrees warmer over the next few decades.
Responding to the report, Mr Cullen said there is no magic switch to limit the growth of greenhouse gas emissions from Ireland, which are contributing to the climate changes.
Ireland is the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases on a per capita basis in the world. Ireland emits 18 tonnes per capita compared with a European average of 10 tonnes, he said. "This is a grave position to find ourselves in," Mr Cullen said.
"Our emissions are currently at 31 per cent above 1990 levels. Under Kyoto we have to get back to no more than 13 per cent by 2012",
He said the key to meeting these commitments was to "decouple emissions from economic growth in a more aggressive manner".
Dr Mary Kelly, director general of the EPA, said the report identified a number of key changes required to cope with this impending change in weather patterns.
"Decisions about what crops to grow, what landscapes to protect, where to build transport corridors in coastal zones, and perhaps, most importantly of all, where to build new residential areas urgently required to be 'climate change proofed'. There will be serious implications for water management policies, both for the supply and for the quality of water," she said.
Rivers and lakes are expected to see sharp falls in water levels, according to the EPA. This will place pressure on water supply schemes and will create problems for mainatining water quality.
The report also predicts a 0.5-metre rise in sea levels by the end of the century, which will result in a higher rate of erosion along "soft" coastlines. Sea-level rises will also contibute to a higher incidence of flooding.
As a result of the predicted changes, farms in the south and east will require irrigation. Traditional crops such as potatoes may see a fall in yields, but this may be offset by benifits for barley and maize growers.
