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

The Government is working on a national adaptation plan. With UCC, Cork County Council has concluded a major survey of the entire coast of Cork to understand the vulnerabilities. There are other vulnerabilities, as I understand it, underneath Midleton. We have to more proactively develop sea protection mechanisms to cope with rising sea levels. I have argued publicly that we have to accord the same priority to adaptation as to addressing climate change itself. Climate change is happening. Storm Babet was a clear example of that. It was a climate event, not just a normal flooding event. I was there two days later and I met people. We were quite fortunate that people did not die during that storm.

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