Climate change: Ireland getting warmer and wetter
Ireland is getting warmer and wetter due to climate change, according to a major report published on Thursday. The Status of Ireland Climate 2020 report also shows that sea levels around the coast are rising. That report comes after a UN warning of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding . According to figures, rainfall has increased by 6% in the 30-year period leading up to 2018, compared to the previous 30 years. The decade up to 2015 was the wettest on record. The report from the Republic of Ireland's Environmental Protection Agency, Met Eireann and Marine Institute shows that the air temperature has risen by almost 1C in the last 120 years, with 15 of the top 20 warmest years on record having occurred since 1990. It also said that sea levels around Ireland have risen by approximately 2-3mm per year since the early 1990s according to satellite observations. Greenhouse gases are also continuing to rise with big increases compared to pre-industrial levels. Carbon dioxide is up by 50%, methane is up 170%, and nitrous oxide has increased by 20%. These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, raising the temperature and causing global warming or climate change. However, aerosols which "affect climate dynamics in several ways" showed a marked decrease "highlighting the success of regulation and technological advances". Atmospheric levels of sulphur were down by around 80% in the 35-year period to 2015 as measured at Valentia in County Kerry. Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland, Dr Ned Dwyer said it will take a collective effort to ensure change but it will be possible. "The issue isn't just that if we turn the tap off on carbon emissions in the morning it's all happy days," she said. "We have to actually adapt to the changes that are kind of built into the system. "So in Ireland all local authorities and sectors are preparing those plans - so it's looking at things like how do we ensure that our towns and cities do not get flooded, how do we ensure that our road and rail infrastructure is going to stay good and not either get melted because of heat waves or get flooded due to excess rainfall." Climate report is 'code red for humanity' NI's first ever climate bill moves to next stage UN climate report is a 'frightening wake-up call' Minister pushes on with his own NI climate bill Morocco rescuers dig with bare hands as foreign aid sent US denies Cold War with China in historic Vietnam visit How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine G20 language How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine G20 language US denies Cold War with China in historic Vietnam visit 'Everyone in this village is either dead or missing' A Serbian scientist's long quest to name Srebrenica's dead How chronic pain feels for me. Video How chronic pain feels for me Guyana scrambles to make the most of oil wealth The spongy creatures cleaning Zanzibar's oceans. Video The spongy creatures cleaning Zanzibar's oceans Inside a 'hijacked' South African building. Video Inside a 'hijacked' South African building The rise and fall of a parenting influencer Florida's first hurricane-proof town The greatest spy novel ever written? Why is everyone crazy about Aperol? 2023 BBC.