Climate council: stop treating floods, storms and droughts as one-off emergencies

# What the council says

Council (CCAC) released a stark statement alongside its report Preparing for Ireland's Changing Climate. It says recent years show Ireland is not preparing systematically for the growing frequency and variety of extreme weather. Instead, the government tends to react to each event—repair damage, ring-fence funds for local flood works—and then move on.

Storms and floods that caused major damage include Storm Éowyn, which led to record power outages, and Storm Chandra, which resulted in heavy flooding. Heavy rain in August 2026 caused floods in Kerry and Dublin when very dry ground could not absorb sudden rainfall. The same dry summer produced a fodder and cashflow crisis for farmers.

# Why this is a problem now

The council highlights that Ireland is oscillating between extremes within a single year: prolonged rainfall and severe flooding, then exceptional heat and drought-like conditions. That pattern increases risks to homes, critical infrastructure, transport, water supplies, health services and agriculture.

The CCAC warns current resilience planning and preparation do not match the scale and urgency of these risks. It points to delays in delivery of flood-defence projects: 31 of 54 major flood-relief schemes prioritised eight years ago remain at preliminary design, and major schemes take on average 11 years to complete. Enniscorthy, severely flooded earlier in 2026, was still awaiting construction 11 years after initial preparations began.

# What the council recommends

• Accelerate mitigation (emissions reductions) to avoid future impacts while simultaneously protecting people and assets now.

• Quantify the cost of inaction so households, businesses, communities and the State can see the financial consequences of delay.
• Fund the measures already identified and track delivery rather than leaving Sectoral Adaptation Plans (SAPs) without committed budgets or measurable outcomes.

The council also called for a price on inaction to improve investment decisions and to make sure Budget choices reflect the scale of investment needed. The timing is immediate: the statement arrived a week before Budget 2027.

# Other context to bear in mind

Global weather patterns will influence near-term risk. The World Meteorological Organization reported that an El Niño is expected to strengthen and is likely to fuel more extreme weather into early next year. That raises the chance Ireland will face more frequent or intense extremes in the months ahead.

# Practical implications

For policymakers: commit funding timelines and measurable delivery targets for SAPs, speed up stalled flood-defence projects, and include quantified estimates of the cost of inaction in budget planning.

For communities and local authorities: expect appeals for coordinated, long-term resilience measures rather than one-off repairs. For farmers: plan for more variable seasons and seek supports for fodder, water and cashflow management as extremes continue.

# Bottom line

Ireland must stop responding to each extreme event as a separate emergency. It calls for strategic, funded, measurable resilience work now, alongside ongoing mitigation, to reduce future costs and risks.