Ireland at risk of losing 'irreplaceable parts of our heritage' to climate change, says heritage expert

A HERITAGE EXPERT has said that Ireland is at risk of losing “irreplaceable parts of our heritage” without concerted action to fight the climate crisis.

The Heritage Council is hosting a national conference in Dublin today on the future of Ireland’s heritage.

Speaking at the conference, Heritage Council chief executive Virginia Teehan said that “without coordinated action” to fight climate change, Ireland is at risk of “losing irreplaceable parts of our heritage and the benefits they provide to our communities and environment”.

Teehan called on the government to “take decisive steps, including the development of a Climate Risk Register for Heritage, to ensure a strategic and effective response to the growing risks posed by climate change”.

She added that our heritage is “not only at risk from climate change – it is also part of the solution”.

“While rising temperatures, extreme weather, coastal erosion and increased rainfall already pose significant threats to elements of our national heritage – from coastal sites and wetland habitats to traditional building stock – heritage also offers powerful tools for resilience,” she said.

“Traditional skills, nature-based solutions and cultural knowledge can help strengthen climate adaptation and support Ireland’s transition to a more sustainable future.”

As the world continues to produce excessive volumes of greenhouse gas emissions, it is already experiencing hard-hitting impacts of climate change. Extreme weather events and sustained changes to Ireland’s climate are a threat to the country’s heritage sites. 

2024 was the warmest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation’s latest annual global climate report.

The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere was also higher than ever before.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who opened the heritage conference, said that Ireland’s heritage “faces significant challenges, including the impact of climate change on our natural and built environment”.

He said the government is “committed to addressing these through sustained investment and targeted policy development, ensuring heritage continues to contribute to our economic, social and environmental wellbeing”.