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

I thank the Office of the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter to be taken today and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, for being here. It is ironic that he is here because he now has responsibility for international aid and small islands and developing states. I am sure he is aware of the threat to small islands and developing states, like the Marshall Islands and elsewhere, from the rise in sea levels. Those states are very concerned that they may be completely wiped out because of rising sea levels.

Does the Government accept that sea levels are rising? Has the Government got any projections as to how much they will rise? I have been reading some material on this issue recently and one report indicates that sea levels could rise by as much as 300 mm, which is 1 ft, by 2050. We have a situation where sea levels are rising and they are doing so at an accelerating rate. Waters from the ocean are expanding as they absorb massive amounts of heat trapped by greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. Glaciers and ice sheets are adding hundreds of gigatons of meltwater into the oceans annually. The land surface around coasts is also creeping up and down and affecting the relative sea level rise. People are feeling these impacts and will continue to do so.

What is our long-term plan in this context? Quite often, we work in cycles of five years as we move from one election to the next. The rise in sea levels is inevitable. The Dutch and others are taking this issue very seriously, as are some Americans. I read some recent reports from the Marine Institute here, which indicate that cities like Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and others around our coasts will be severely affected. Many of our roads, transport, electricity and other services will also be impacted. We need to start thinking about this impact seriously.

I know we have set up a national adaptation steering committee. Perhaps the Minister of State might tell us what work it has been doing. There is also the national coastal change management strategy steering group. Has it issued a report? If so, what actions are the Government planning to take with respect to this issue? I am talking about long-term action in this regard and not something in the short term. I am not talking about flood defences. This is far more serious because it is the sea. I refer to the reports I have read. I also have a book here by John Englander, entitled Moving To Higher Ground: Rising Sea Level and the Path Forward, which deals with this issue out in a big way.

If, as is being said, the sea is going to rise, it is not going to go back.

The rise is inevitable and will be permanent. Surely, as a State, we should now be planning for this. What are we going to do? Can we put up sea walls? Can we get people to move? The other issue that will be impacted in a big way, an issue the Minister of State will be familiar with from his previous role in the Department of Finance, is that of house insurance and property insurance. If your property is close to the coast and there is a threat of a rising sea flooding that property, no insurance company will take you on. What are those people going to do?

The Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I and many of us will be gone from here, perhaps to our eternal reward, by the time this happens but we should not be waiting. We should be planning for it now. I am not talking about floods or small works by the Office of Public Works, OPW. This is pretty big. It will cost a lot of money if we are going to have an impact. It means moving people from low-lying areas on the coast or putting up defences to keep the sea out. I read one report that talked about blockading the Baltic Sea to save all the cities on the edge of that sea if it rises up. We are also going to see other impacts. Bangladesh and Florida could disappear and much of New York and Boston will be in trouble. We will see movements of people like we have never seen before because of this.

Has the Government been talking about, debating and thinking about this issue in a serious way? I am not just talking about short-term solutions but the long term. I am talking about the next ten, 15 or 20 years. As I said, some reports are talking about sea levels rising by a foot by 2050. That is not that far away. If that happens, many of us and our children will really be impacted. I am interested to hear what the Minister of State has to say on this matter and in what adaptation measures are planned.

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