The current spell of very dry weather is enjoyable, causing problems and thought-provoking. As I write early in the morning all the windows and doors in my office are open. Every evening I get out for a good walk in balmy conditions and eat my dinner al fresco. Life feels good. On the other hand, wearing my weather hat, I observe very unusual weather patterns occurring across Europe. Southern and particularly southeastern countries of the continent have experienced very wet conditions. Yesterday was the first time I can remember that 3 Met Stations recorded temperatures in excess of 30c and another 7 stations reported heat above 29c.
In this part of the world, we now have worsening drought conditions. Last Sunday, on my way to work as an LEO Mentor at the Flavours of Fingal show, I passed a 20-acre field of potatoes. What shocked me was both the small size of the plants and that they were wilting from drought. As Coordinator, of the Horticulture Industry Forum, I’m aware of the huge efforts vegetable growers are now making to irrigate and save their crops. As it happened, the day before Flavours of Fingal I was facilitating in the cool basement of Liberty Hall, Dublin at a “Jobs in a Changing Climate” seminar. This was an uplifting experience involving participants from both these islands.
Given the huge challenge posed by Climate Change, it was gratifying to emerge at the end of the day into the bright sunlight with many practical initiatives involving food, forestry and technology that can deliver sustainable jobs through the economic transition that must now take place.
