The weather is probably the easiest topic of discussion for many people, particularly in Ireland, but it’s taken on a far more serious tone in recent times.
The devastation wrought by Storm Éowyn and more recent flooding events have highlighted the vulnerability of our infrastructure to extreme weather events. Storms aren’t a new phenomenon, of course, but their frequency and scale are clearly something Ireland isn’t built for.
That poses questions about the efficacy of the National Development Plan in its current form, with climate-focused projects appearing to be in more urgent need of being addressed. In the near term, we are in for a bumpy ride.
“Climate breakdown will make flooding and storms in Ireland worse,” says Deirdre Duffy, chief executive of Friends of the Earth Ireland. “More devastating flooding and damage to homes, infrastructure and buildings is inevitable this year, in 2027 and into the future.”
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The impact of the damage on infrastructure is clear and costly to the State, as well as its citizens.
“The most recent disruptive event that occurred in Ireland has been Storm Chandra in January 2026, which has led to circa €26 million of insured damages.” says Annunziata Esposito Amideo, academic programme director, UCD Smurfit Business School. “Ireland is not new to storms but is potentially new to storms of this calibre.”
The scale of the challenge has changed as the climate crisis has deepened. With that, the potential damage of future events will likely prove even more costly.
“Ireland’s first National Climate Change Risk Assessment says climate risks are already cascading across systems, with storms disrupting energy, communications and water,” says Duffy. “It found 115 climate risks, 43 already significant, and four priority risks needing urgent action in the next five years.”
The four priority risks are flooding to homes, risk to the water supply, risks to energy infrastructure, and risks to ecosystems and biodiversity.
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Esposito Amideo says it’s vital that the specific scale of the risk in these four priority areas is addressed quickly.
“The most needed action to carry out is a thorough risk assessment of current infrastructure, both public and private,” she says. “Once this is done, mitigation or protection measures can be listed and evaluated for implementation.”
The Government isn’t sitting idly by and waiting for disasters. Work is being done but even its own agencies acknowledge the State simply isn’t at the requisite level of readiness.
“The Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges the work under way by the Government on adapting infrastructure but notes that current preparedness, delivery, resourcing and accountability are still too weak for the risk now emerging,” says Duffy.
In order to fill that preparedness gap, the State needs to take a holistic approach to disaster management, one that is focused on built-in resilience of infrastructure.
“Disaster management is a process that looks at a disaster before, during and after its occurrence,” says Esposito Amideo.
Preparedness involves educating local communities about disasters, and also training them – starting at school level – so they know what to do in the event of one occurring, she explains.
The focus on community awareness is critical. Getting those most likely to be affected directly ready for any challenge can help improve the outcome of responses.
“We can build resilient communities through policy which connects us and empowers us towards local solutions supported by national infrastructure,” says Duffy.
It’s not all doom and gloom. While the warnings are justifiably stark, the strategies laid out by the Government are honing in on the key risks.
“As highlighted in the National Development Plan, funding devoted to flooding risk management has supported very important and relevant projects. However, there is still work to do,” says Esposito Amideo.
Duffy is concerned by the short-term approach of current strategies, with not enough being done to improve energy security through more sustainable measures.
“While climate-resilience projects are urgently needed, the Government has instead proactively prioritised policies that facilitate further reliance on fossil fuels, namely a new gas terminal in Shannon and the expansion of data centres,” she says.
There is an opportunity to shift away from this, according to Duffy, with opportunities to better futureproof Ireland’s infrastructure.
“The revised National Planning Framework creates an opportunity to integrate adaptation planning which should be coherent and consistent across sectors; however, it will only be achieved by political prioritisation and holistic delivery,” she says.
While such moves could, at least, limit the potential damage caused by future climate-related events, more than just mitigation is needed to address the challenges such disasters present to infrastructure.
“Disaster mitigation could be the first step, but what is needed is disaster education and investment across the whole spectrum of disaster management,” says Esposito Amideo.
