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EXTREME HEAT and destructive fires in Russia; millions made homeless by floods in Pakistan and damaging climate events throughout the world should make Irish people thankful for their temperate climate. Sure, last winter brought an unusually icy spell. And flooding in low-lying areas made life miserable for tens of thousands of people. But nobody drowned.

 Since then, plans have been laid by public agencies to minimise the effects of extreme weather events. But, with climate change now an “unequivocal reality” according to international scientists, all that can be hoped for is that adverse impacts can be minimised in future.