A new report from the University of Galway is warning Ireland needs a national plan to deal with the growing threat of coastal erosion and rising sea levels.
The research says Government must move beyond monitoring coastal change and begin planning for the relocation of homes, businesses and key infrastructure in vulnerable areas.
The study estimates that more than 2,200 properties and 570 kilometres of roads are already at risk, with the number of affected properties expected to almost double by 2050.
Dr Eugene Farrell, Associate Professor at University of Galway and lead author of the report says the science has been clear for decades, what's needed now is action.
Ireland must shift from monitoring coastal erosion as a physical process to establishing the urgent legal and financial mechanisms required to relocate homes and infrastructure, according to new research from University of Galway.
The working paper published today by the Climate Change Advisory Council moves beyond the science of coastal change to provide the first comprehensive roadmap for a national Coastal Change Adaptation Framework.
Entitled ‘Managing Coastal Risks in Ireland: Towards strategies that integrate planned coastal relocations,’ the report identifies potential policy levers, zoning tools, and funding structures needed to carry out the planned relocation of people and critical assets (residential and commercial properties, roads, bridges, rail lines, ports and harbours, telecommunication networks, or utility plants) away from at-risk zones.
The working paper highlights that the scale of the threat from coastal erosion is immense. It notes a survey of eight local authorities which identified 2,279 properties and 570km of roads at risk. These numbers are projected to jump to 4,446 properties by 2050, a figure that will rise substantially once all local authorities covering 19 coastal counties report their data.
The paper argues that while erosion is an inevitable natural process, the current lack of a binding framework for retreat has left the State in a cycle of ad hoc reactive engineering and unmanaged loss.
To protect current and future generations, the Government must now prioritise the creation of a masterplan that operationalises how - and not just why - coastal communities will move to safety.
