A group of environmental activists have release images of what Galway city might look in sixteen years time if climate change warnings are not heeded.
Members of Extinction Rebellion painted tide marks in prominent positions around Galway, to illustrate where the sea levels might be in 2035.
Parts of Galway city already flood regularly, with thousands of euro worth of damages caused to homes and businesses in recent years.
The Office of Public Works has costed national flood defence plans at €835 million, with Cork and Dublin already facing spiralling costs to keep water levels at bay.
On 1 May this year, the Irish government became the second country in the world to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency, after the a UN report which stated that just twelve years to remain before climate change becomes irreversible.
A spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion said: “Galway is just one of the many cities around the world which would be lost under rising sea levels within decades, and we know that more frequent storm surges will add further flooding risks”.
“The paint is temporary, but the warming of our planet isn’t. We are urging the government to make this declaration more than just a ‘symbolic’ gesture, it is now an emergency and we are demanding an urgent response on this”.
