David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Gaffey. He mentioned the issue of rising sea levels. This is something I am quite interested in. Deputy Cronin also mentioned it. I have been reading Moving to Higher Ground by John Englander, who is one of the global experts in this area. He maintains that some of the smaller island states will actually disappear completely. He mentioned a number of these islands on which hundreds of thousands of people. Those populations would have to relocate. Mr. Englander asks questions about what would happen to their voting rights at the UN if their islands no longer exist. What would happen to their fishing rights if their islands no longer exist?

Sea level rise is what happens with the sea comes up and does not fall back. It is not like the tide coming in. It rises and stays up. Ireland, particularly in the context of my part of County Cork and certain towns and villages around the coast, is very vulnerable to sea level rise. We built our cities in very low-lying areas right around the coast. I have seen reports where even Florida could disappear as a result of rising seal levels. When we talk about the small island developing states and climate adaptation measure,s are we talking about people evacuating those places? Where do they go when the sea levels rise? Mr. Gaffey said that they move back and further back from the coast, but there comes a time when there is nowhere left to go. Some of these places are very low-lying. When I was a Minister of State, I met ministers from some of these places at the UN. They are extraordinarily concerned about this. It is not so much about stopping fossil fuels now because, as John Englander maintains, it is too late. Sea levels are rising as we speak. He maintains that by 2025 we could see a huge rise in sea levels. That is next year. Before the end of this century, there could be a rise in sea levels of up to 3 m across the world.

When we talk about climate adaptation measures and if we accept that this is happening, are we talking about people not only moving to higher ground but moving away from where they live because they will have no choice? We are talking about colossal numbers. Bangladesh is not a small island; it is very low-lying and millions of people live there. It could also disappear.

If we focus even on small islands for the purpose of today's meeting, has the question of where people will go when the oceans rise and do not recede been discussed at UN, European and COP level?