New EPA-funded research on Ireland’s emergency planning systems published

18 Aug 2022

On 17^th August 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published research conducted by Dr Martin Le Tissier, Dr Dug Cubie and Peter Medway entitled “Enhancing Integration of Disaster Risk and Climate Change Adaptation into Irish Emergency Planning”. This research project was a collaboration between the UCC MaREI Centre and the School of Law, and the final report examines how best to develop an integrated and holistic approach to both long-term climate change adaptation needs and the more immediate emergency risk management needs.

In Ireland, there is a portfolio of policies, plans, strategies and reports that address the consequences of climate change and emergency planning. However, emergency management and climate change adaptation are currently two discrete systems for governance, management and coordination at the national level. Based on desk research, key informant interviews and focus group discussions with local communities and stakeholders, the report shows that emergency response planning is different from developing a long-term risk management policy that acknowledges Ireland’s increasing vulnerability to the climate crisis.

Building on the existing Strategic Emergency Management (SEM) and Major Emergency Management (MEM) Frameworks, as well as examples of European good practice such as the Horizon 2020 ESPREssO project, the report argues that a key objective for both short-term emergency planning and long-term climate change adaptation is to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience of individuals, communities and national structures. In particular, preventing new risk and reducing the level of existing risk will in turn reduce the remaining residual risk left to be managed.

The report provides a high-level roadmap of guiding principles and a series of priority actions that the government and other stakeholders may wish to consider for achieving greater coherence and integration between the emergency management and climate adaptation frameworks in Ireland.

Find Out More

• The report and explanatory video presented by Dr Dug Cubie can be accessed at: Enhancing Integration of Disaster Risk and Climate Change Adaptation into Irish Emergency Planning
• The project website can be accessed at: https://www.marei.ie/project/integration-disaster-risk-climate-change-adaptation/
• For more information on the range of disaster law activities in the School of Law, please visit: https://www.ucc.ie/en/ccjhr/researchclusters/disasterlaw/

Acknowledgements

This research is published as part of the EPA Research Programme 2021-2030. The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Disclaimer

Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the material contained in this news story, complete accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Neither the Environmental Protection Agency nor the authors accept any responsibility whatsoever for loss or damage occasioned or claimed to have been occasioned, in part or in full, as a consequence of any person acting or refraining from acting, as a result of a matter contained in this news story.