Publication
Climate Adaptation and Transport Sub-sectors
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Published on
Last updated on
The Transport sector is vital to Ireland’s economy and society as it enables the movements of people and goods into and around the county. It is a key enabler of all other economic activities. Transport is made up of many parts, from the infrastructure that allows the movement of vehicles and goods, to the businesses, organisations and communities that rely on it.
Under the current National Adaptation Framework (NAF) Transport infrastructure networks are identified as ‘critical infrastructure’. In the latest consultation draft of the revised NAF, Transport is listed as part of our ‘built environment and infrastructure’.
Transport infrastructure – including the engineering works and assets, buildings and land that make up our Transport networks – is broadly divided into three sub-sectors. These are (1) land transport infrastructure, including roads and greenways, and the light and heavy rail networks; (2) maritime infrastructure; and (3) aviation infrastructure.
Our land transport infrastructure includes our national, regional and local road networks.
Responsibility for our national roads network, including motorways lies with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), funded by the exchequer through the Department of Transport. TII also has responsibility for greenways, and for the Luas light rail network in Dublin. Local authorities have responsibility for regional and local roads networks, funded through local authority budgets as well as through Government funding.
Climate change adaptation is a key consideration for our roads infrastructure sub-sector. Roads and greenways are at the forefront of current climate change impacts, and they are subject to increased climate-related hazards. As well as normal wear and tear and changing use patterns, our roads need to be able to withstand and bounce back from increased flooding and extreme weather events.
Both TII, and the Local Authorities with Department of Transport support have developed strategic plans and guidance to tackle such impacts and to build resilience into the road network now and into the future. TII has recently published its Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for the national road network and for the national greenways and the light rail network, which is are also the responsibility of TII. The Local Authority Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs) together with the Department of Transport have also produced a climate adaptation strategy for the regional and local roads network. The strategy contains guidance for local authorities on how roads across Ireland can be protected and improved to withstand the impact of climate change.
Our national heavy rail network includes intercity rail lines, stations and depots as well as the electrified DART system in Dublin.
The heavy rail network, a critical national infrastructure asset, is at risk of disruption during severe weather events. These have been happening more often and more intensely over the last decade. A range of programmes and actions are being put in place to protect railway infrastructure including stations from climate change impacts and to keep services running. These include putting in place a protection programme for parts of the East Coast Railway that are at risk from the sea level and from storms. They also include actions to prevent and ease flooding at a number of critical locations throughout the network. The annual Infrastructure Manager maintenance and renewal programmes for rail infrastructure also take climate change effects, including the need for greater resilience, into account. Back-up electricity supplies for DART and signalling also mean that rail infrastructure and services are better able to deal with extreme weather events and climate change.
As an island country, our sea ports are vital hubs for the movement of goods and vehicles into and out of the country. They support the economy, allow access to the wider world and are important places in many of our cities. As our energy systems shift away from burning fossil fuels, it’s also expected that our ports will support the development and roll-out of new clean energy sources, such as offshore wind energy. The ports can also support the move to a circular economy within their own port facilities and among the many firms that work in and serve the ports (e.g. waste management companies).
As ports lie on our coasts, they are at risk of both shorter-term and longer-term climate risks related to the sea. These include storms, storm surges, changes in the movement of sand and silt along our coasts, and sea level rise.
To future-proof port operations and infrastructure, Irish port companies build climate resilience actions into their strategies and development plans. Irish port companies can also draw on international best practice and on lessons learned elsewhere around the world that have been summarised by industry bodies. Closer to home, key questions about how to ensure that our ports are climate resilient into the future were built into the public consultation on the review of the National Ports Policy, which closed on 15 January 2024. Over the coming decade, taking action to reduce climate change risks, taking the necessary steps to mitigate against those risks and to benefit from any climate change opportunities, such as moving towards a circular economy is expected to be a key focus of our ports.
Our State airports provide essential strategic transport infrastructure and services that support the economic and social activities of the State. These airports each have a critical role in supporting our participation in an increasingly global society, and in facilitating economic development by enabling trade, tourism and inward investment.
Regional airports also play an important role in their areas and in regional development. These airports continue to be important because of a level of international connectivity that they bring to a region for tourism and business.
Industry bodies such as the International Civil Aviation Authority and the Airports Council International (ACI) have published detailed guides and tool kits to help airports to identify and respond to climate change risks. Analysis of risks to European airports from climate change has also been published by Eurocontrol and by the European Union Aviation Safety Authority (EASA).
At a local level, through their work on sustainability and climate, our airports will continue working to mitigate and to build resilience to climate impacts.
Ireland’s smaller regional airports, those that provide connectivity and handle fewer than one million passengers (on average over the previous two years) may be supported in this work through the Exchequer funded Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025. While the primary objective of this Programme is to support safety and security related operations and activities, projects with a sustainability focus assisting airports in meeting their carbon reduction targets as well as encouraging resilience-building and climate change adaptation may also be supported.