2026-02-24

158. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his views on Ireland’s resilience to extreme weather events caused by climate change; if consideration is being given to nature-based solutions to mitigate and provide resilience to the impacts of climate change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14622/26]

I ask the Minister about nature-based solutions to mitigate and provide resilience to the impacts of climate change. We all know what has happened recently with warmer and wetter winters bringing more flooding, with a cost of billions and more than 100,000 properties in the State at risk of flooding. We know this will continue. Drainage systems will be exceeded, and we need to slow the water down and use the land as a sponge to ensure the surface can have more involvement in resilience to flooding.

The Deputy started asking his question. I did not pick up the start of it, so will he ask that again?

What are the Minister of State's views on Ireland's resilience to extreme weather events? Is consideration being given to nature-based solutions to provide resilience to the impacts of climate change?

In addition to our efforts to mitigate climate change, it is critically important that we plan ahead for a climate-resilient future. Over the past number of years this has become even more evident as powerful storms including Babet, Darragh, Éowyn and most recently Chandra have significantly impacted Irish people, our infrastructure and our economy. Ireland's whole-of-government adaptation policy response to the impacts of climate change is set out in the second national adaptation framework, NAF, published in 2024. The NAF sets out the national strategy to reduce the vulnerability of the country to the negative effects of climate change and to avail of positive impacts. In November 2025, ten sectoral adaptation plans covering 13 key sectors developed under the 2024 NAF were approved by the Government. These contain measurable actions to improve the resilience of key sectors over the next five years. The Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment holds the responsibility for the NAF and the electricity and gas network sectoral adaptation plans. The other sectors are the responsibility of the relevant line Ministers. A new adaptation task force that was established at the end of last year recently commenced work to provide the senior level oversight and co-ordination of Ireland's approach to adaptation, including systematic delivery barriers and cross-cutting issues. Risk guidelines developed by the Department include as key principles a requirement that nature-based solutions be utilised where appropriate to improve resilience to climate impact. Nature-based solutions can build reliance into the priority risks that extreme wind and heat identified in the EPA's national climate change risk report published in June last year.

I hope that in his next answer, the Minister of State actually tells us what type of nature-based solutions will be foreseen or utilised by Government. I refer to the area in Kerry between Knocknagoshel and Brosna. The older people there tell me that up to 20 to 30 years ago, when heavy rain came, it would be soaked up by the bogs and released slowly. That does not happen anymore, partly due to afforestation and vertical drainage, so huge volumes of water are coming into the basins there and causing the flooding downstream that occurred in Listowel just before the election. The Wild Woodbury project in Dorset in England cleans water, stores carbon and brings new wildlife habitats because the land is soaking up the water and filtering it. It is not enough on its own. There will obviously be hard engineering solutions as well but this needs to be considered in the Government's plans.

I can give a full response in writing but I agree that nature-based solutions are increasingly central to Ireland's adaptation policy. From my own experience, I know that examples are under way such as the wetland rehabilitation in the Shannon and Moy catchments. They are creating national flooding storage zones. I know we are under time constraints but I can send the Deputy the rest of the reply.