Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will examine the proposal and will consult with Ministers on it. We have to move in a more proactive way. I am not saying we are not doing that already; there are moves being made on adaptation in general. We have to avoid the worst consequences of climate change through the actions we take but increasingly, we have to look at the adaptation side of the issue as well and take more proactive measures to prevent damage to communities, towns, villages, coastal areas and so on. We can see what is happening with the frequency of storms over the last number of years across Europe. I recently saw a survey showing €150 billion of damage in Europe alone this last season due to climate change weather events.

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