Ms Cliona Sharkey:

Deputy Ryan asked about research and figures. There is so much research out there, as members can imagine, on these issues. I have information from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization from 2016. It produced a report, The State of Food and Agriculture, that focused on climate change, agriculture and food security. The report states:

The effects of climate change on agricultural production and livelihoods are expected to intensify over time, and to vary across countries and regions. Beyond 2030, the negative impacts of climate change on the productivity of crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry will become increasingly severe in all regions.

Productivity declines would have serious implications for food security. Food supply shortfalls would lead to major increases in food prices, while increased climate variability would accentuate price volatility.

We agree with the fact that agriculture has to be treated differently. It is not just an emissions or economic sector, it is the means by which we feed ourselves as a species so it has to be treated as a special case.

Our primary concern as an organisation is for the people who are struggling with the level of impact of climate change today. They are already unable to produce enough food to feed themselves because of increasingly frequent and intense disasters. This is a global issue of which Ireland must be cognisant. Perhaps the committee could engage with the Department in the coming weeks to ask about the implications for Ireland's food security down the line in a situation where we do not deliver on the 1.5° or well below 2° temperature limits set in the Paris Agreement. There are some scenarios we should consider.