GREEN PARTY BLAMES DUN LAOGHAIRE FLOODS ON GOVERNMENT FAILURE TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE

The Green Party has blamed this week’s floods on a failure by Government to take Global Warming and Climate change seriously. It called for policies to tackle Climate Change at source by implementing new planning and taxation policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also blamed suburban sprawl for flash floods that have stalled the DART line and flooded roads and homes in Little Bray and Dun Laoghaire.

Cllr. Ciarán Cuffe of the Green Party has called for Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council to ‘flood-proof’ its Development Plan by subjecting it to an external review by a professional Hydrologist.

“The floods are no accident or Act of God”, he stated; “instead they are the result of failed policies that do not tackle the reality of Climate Change. We need to implement the following measures:

• more green space and wetlands to allow for natural soakage in the event of flooding

• radical action by Government on fiscal measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

• review of the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Development Plan by Hydrological consultants to minimise urban sprawl and rezone lands that are liable to flooding

• a review of the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Emergency Plan”

ENDS

For further information contact:

Ciarán Cuffe 6183082 or 087 265 2075

Ciarán Cuffe is a TD for the Dún Laoghaire Dáil Constituency. Ciarán can be contacted at Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 96 Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire Tel. 284 6060 or 618 3082, Fax 618 4341, Email Ciaran CiaranCuffe.com, or Text Ciaran on 087 265 2075.