Professor Hannah Daly:

On behalf of all the authors, I will introduce the assessment. I express our gratitude for the invitation to discuss this important report with the committee. We look forward to the exchange.

The publication of Ireland’s climate change assessment, ICCA, is a landmark occasion and a significant outcome of collaborative and interdisciplinary work across Irish academia, as can be seen from the people in this room. It represents a substantial step forward in making actionable information available not just to policymakers but every Irish citizen. It has assessed a wealth of national and international research to provide a rigorous scientific assessment of all aspects of the climate crisis with an Irish focus. The team of authors has provided valuable and complementary insights arising from its broad range of specialisations and wealth of expertise.

The ICCA report consists of four underlying volumes, each drafted by a dedicated author team. It looks at the following: Volume 1, Climate Science - Ireland in a Changing World; Volume 2, Achieving Climate Neutrality by 2050; Volume 3, Being Prepared for Ireland’s Climate Future; and Volume 4, Realising the Benefits of Transition and Transformation. The synthesis report ties these all together to present an accessible summary and it is the synthesis report which we are focusing on today.

Before we present our findings, on behalf of the author team, I acknowledge the vision and commitment of the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, in conceiving this endeavour and its funding and support in bringing it to fruition. I thank the many members of the overarching and volume steering committees, drawn from a number of Government Departments and public bodies, who provided extensive constructive feedback on earlier drafts throughout the writing. We are also deeply indebted to the additional contributing authors of each volume, and to the wider research community in Ireland, from whose work we have drawn and who have shaped our own understanding. We will now provide a summary of our most important findings. I will hand over to my colleague, Professor Jennifer McElwain.