Climate Change

AIE refusal: OPW flood related records (National Flood Forecast Warning Service (NFFWS))

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AIE request AIE-14-01-2024

Under the AIE Regs to request the agendas, minutes and any related meeting presentations or reports provided to or by the following Groups within Met Eireann:
-National Flood Forecasting & Warning Service Steering Group
-Communications Working Group (CWG)
-Comms Technical Sub-Group

Background

In January 2016, the Government agreed to establish a National Flood Forecast Warning Service (NFFWS). International experience shows that developing a NFFWS is an iterative process over an extended timeframe and it was decided to develop the NFFWS in a staged basis.

A Steering Group, chaired by the OPW and comprising representatives from Met Éireann, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the County and City Management Association (CCMA) and the Department
of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, was established to steer, support and oversee the establishment of the new service over the initial establishment years.

Phase I – the establishment phase of the Service, is completed and a Flood Forecasting Centre is now operational within Met Éireann in their offices at Glasnevin, in Dublin. The Steering Group for the NFFWS is working on Stage II of the development of the NFFWS to enhance and extend the Service.

The Communications Working Group did not meet during the period in question and there were no records

“Comms Technical Sub-Group.” No such Sub-Group has been established in respect of the development of the NFFWS. In this regard, there were no records identified relevant to your request.

In relation to the National Flood Forecasting & Warning Service Steering Group I have identified a significant number of records in relation to agendas, minutes and related meeting presentations or reports provided to or by the Group

The work of the National Flood Forecasting & Warning Service Steering Group is on guiding, supporting and overseeing the establishment and development of the National Flood Forecasting & Warning Service.

The Service is not designed to protect the environment.

The Service does not affect nor is it likely to affect, the environment.

The records do not relate to the elements, or state of the elements, of the environment or releases into the environment or the state of human health and safety.

I have concluded that the information requested and contained in the records in relation to the National Flood Forecasting & Warning Service Steering Group does not comprise information that satisfies the definition of environmental information set out in Regulation 3(1) paragraphs (a) to (f). Having regard to the foregoing, your request for information under the AIE Regulations on the National Flood Forecasting & Warning Service Steering Group is refused.

20250107 Decision Letter 14-1-2024Download

Plantation forestry: Carbon and climate impacts

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837723001436

Highlights

  • •For spruce plantations on peaty soils, measured carbon emissions are greater than currently predicted.
  • •Despite new guidelines, spruce plantation establishment and restocking continues to disturb and drain peaty soils.
  • •Carbon is flowing out of ditches into rivers, and spruce plantations on peaty soils are contributing to climate change.
  • •The problem is acute in south west Scotland.
  • •Regulations and safeguards for soil carbon and drainage of peaty soils should be further strengthened.

Abstract

Conifer forestry is expanding rapidly across western parts of the British Isles. This is promoted as good for climate, carbon and biodiversity. However, many spruce plantations are established by draining and disturbing peaty soils, which then release carbon and impair river ecosystems. This ‘viewpoint paper’ focuses on Scotland, and asks that investors and policy-makers recognise the damage being done by rapid afforestation and restocking. The author focusses on the drainage of peaty soils, and suggests that the incentives driving these changes are corrected in order to favour a better kind of forest.

1-s2.0-S0264837723001436-mainDownload

All-Island Climate and Biodiversity Research Network (AICBRN)

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This major initiative brings together leading research centres across the whole island of Ireland to tackle the climate and biodiversity emergency where a trans-national approach is essential.

Researchers from all of the centres across the network have come together to work with national, regional and local governments, communities and industry to effectively deliver solutions to climate, biodiversity and social challenges caused by global warming.

‘The ambition of the AICBRN is to develop a large-scale research and innovation initiative to improve public good policy and management decisions, underpin business and enterprise strategies and strengthen societal capacity to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies’

We will be investigating:

  • Clean energy solutions and how to economically implement these to achieve a socially just transition away from fossil fuels
  • Prevention of biodiversity loss, reversing degradation in ecosystems and how to make our natural environment more resilient to climate change
  • Protecting and enhancing agriculture in Ireland and looking to achieve negative carbon emissions
  • Improving climate predictions and the level of uncertainty to improve forecasting of adverse weather and flood risk

https://www.aicbrn.net/network-members

all-island-climate-and-biodiversity-research-network-finalDownload

Land Use Review

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Programme for Government commits to an average 7% per annum reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030 (a 51% reduction over the decade), and to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

This will be challenging and will require fundamental changes in so many parts of Irish life. In rising to the challenge, we will be able to improve the health, welfare and security of all our people.

To assist in the delivery of this ambition the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future (2020) committed to a national land use review:

‘Land use review: The Government will undertake a national land use review, including farmland, forests, and peatlands, so that optimal land use options inform all relevant government decisions. The review will balance environmental, social, and economic considerations and involve a process of evaluation of the ecological characteristics of the land. It will include consideration of emissions to air and water, carbon sequestration, and climate adaptation challenges’.

It is anticipated that such a review would allow knowledge transfer to policymakers, advisory services, and landowners in making informed choices as to how best to use land.

Details on the review are here: https://www.epa.ie/our-services/monitoring–assessment/assessment/land/

FLARES – Fire, Land and Atmospheric Remote sensing of Emissions

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Fires, Land and Atmospheric Remote Sensing of EmissionS (FLARES) aims to develop systematic approaches to the acquisition and collation of a range of data on agricultural and uncontrolled wildland burning burn events from satellite datasets.

These will be validated by in situ observations, and measurement of relevant emission factors for Irish wildfires, with the objective of improving the accuracy and reducing uncertainty in the quantification of annual greenhouse gas and particulate emissions.

The work builds on previous EPA-funded work to characterise upland habitats from satellite imagery, thus enabling the type of vegetation burned to be identified, and biomass lost to be calculated. The reliability of existing satellite and ground datasets will be evaluated, and proposals made for future operational air quality monitoring by drawing on the inter-disciplinary approaches of the Earth Observation and Atmospheric Chemistry expertise within the consortium.

Click to access FLARES.pdf