The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has welcomed the publication of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which provides new and important insights on the current state of the global climate system, and the steps needed to halt human-induced climate change.
Climate Change 2021: the Physical Science Basis, featuring contributions by authors and scientists from Ireland, saw hundreds of scientists review more than 1,400 studies.
Commenting on the report Frank McGovern, EPA chief climate scientist, said:
“This is an important and timely report, which will be considered by policymakers at the COP26 meeting in November.
“However, the information it provides can inform decision making on climate change at all levels.
“It is essential that we maintain and develop targeted climate change research in Ireland. This is needed to inform actions here and, in particular, the responses that we require.
This, he said, includes enhanced management of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and removals, as well as the adaptation responses needed to ensure that we can manage the impacts of climate change.
Laura Burke, EPA director general, said:
“For Ireland, the report underlines the key messages from the recent EPA publication on Ireland’s GHG emission projections, which states that the next decade needs to be one of major developments and advances in relation to Ireland’s response to climate change. And there needs to be a significant and immediate increase in the scale and pace of GHG emission reductions.
“In addition, the IPCC report makes it clear that we must chart a course to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions in the coming decades”.