Ireland Needs Coastal Defences & Evacuation Plans as Climate Change Accelerates
Ireland must begin planning for the “emergency evacuation” of coastal communities as the planet’s climate swings further out of balance, according to a leading Irish climate scientist. The warning comes as the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) published data Monday showing Earth is absorbing heat at an accelerating rate, driving up sea levels and intensifying extreme weather events.
Professor Iris Moller, a coastal geomorphologist at Trinity College Dublin, said urgent action is needed to protect communities and implement evacuation procedures. “There has been no time in the past when we have built so close to the coast and in such low-lying areas and where so many people have been at risk,” Moller stated, responding to the WMO’s analysis. She highlighted the potential for catastrophic flooding, noting that Storm Chandra, which impacted Ireland in January, could have been far more devastating had it coincided with a high spring tide.
The WMO’s State of the Global Climate report for 2025 details a planet increasingly out of equilibrium. The report, released Monday, confirms that 2015-2025 were the 11 warmest years on record, with the last three being the hottest. The Earth’s “energy imbalance” – the difference between incoming and outgoing energy – is at its highest level ever recorded. Greenhouse gas concentrations are higher than at any point in the last 800,000 years, and carbon dioxide levels exceed those seen in two million years.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the findings as evidence that Earth is being “pushed beyond its limits.” “These findings are not confined to charts and graphs. They are written into the daily lives of people,” Guterres said in a statement. “In families struggling as droughts and storms drive up food prices; in workers pushed to the brink by extreme heat; in farmers watching crops wither; in communities and homes swept away by floods.”
The WMO report also reveals alarming trends in polar ice. Arctic sea ice reached its lowest or second-lowest extent on record in 2025, while Antarctic sea ice has been at its lowest levels in the past four years. Glacier shrinkage is also accelerating, contributing to rising sea levels, which are now 11cm higher than they were 30 years ago and 23cm higher than in 1900, with the rate of increase accelerating. The report warns that sea levels will continue to rise for centuries, even if greenhouse gas emissions were to cease immediately.
Professor Moller cautioned that existing projections of sea-level rise – an estimated 26cm to 77cm by the end of the century – are likely to be underestimated. She emphasized the need for a multi-faceted approach to mitigation, including “nature-based solutions, coastal protection measures and emergency evacuation processes,” alongside a rapid transition away from fossil fuels.
Trinity College Dublin launched its Climate Gateway in November 2025, aiming to coordinate research and action on climate change across the island of Ireland. Professor Karen Wiltshire, spearheading the initiative, acknowledged the challenges but expressed optimism about Ireland’s potential to demonstrate leadership in addressing the crisis. The Gateway seeks to connect academic research with practical solutions and engage communities in climate action.