A new report from Met Éireann and UCD on the likely impact of climate change on Ireland has concluded there will be dryer summers in the southeast and wetter winters in the northwest, with temperatures rising on average by 1.5° Celsius.
The research suggests that storms over the North Atlantic in the vicinity of Ireland are likely to increase in frequency. Climate change is associated with more hostile weather conditions.
The Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, said that climate change was likely to have significant impacts on Ireland's society and economy.
Mr Roche said today's research was vital to endure we could adapt successfully to the predicted changes.
Gobal warming
Ireland still generates 25% more greenhouse gasses, the emissions blamed for causing global warming, than it promised to under the Kyoto Protocol.
The Community Climate Change Consortium for Ireland Project was established in 2003 to consolidate and intensify the national effort in climate change research and to support the community of environmental scientists by developing a regional climate modelling capability.
The leading partners in the project are Met Éireann and University College Dublin.
The project is currently funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and Sustainable Energy Ireland, the Higher Education Authority and the Department of the Environment.
