According to a recent report by the Met Eireann – as featured in the Irish Times – the impacts of flooding from Storm Chandra were more than three times more likely to occur due to changes in weather patterns caused by climate change.

In statistics by the Met Eireann and Maynooth University, the ‘magnitude of the rainfall over the full week was 9 per cent greater than it would have been in the cooler Earth that existed before climate change’, seemingly referencing our warming atmosphere’s increased potential to hold water vapour and subsequently deposit it in severe rainfall events. This sort of alteration represents the increased frequency with which rare extreme climate events are expected to occur; in this case turning this seven-day rainfall event from a typically a 150-year event to a 60-year event, a ‘three-fold increase’ in likelihood.

A key focus of Climate NI’s work is around climate adaptation, which is understanding that there are some impacts of climate change that are either already present, or cannot be avoided, and therefore must be understood, documented and adjusted to. To find out more information about the difference between climate adaptation and climate mitigation, as well as the impacts of climate change on Northern Ireland and beyond, read our Introduction to Climate Change. For further information about all things climate, follow us on Social Media, and subscribe to our Newsletter for monthly instalments of news, opportunities and events.