Ireland takes a glimpse of climate change in the Arctic

Commenting on the photographs, which portray the impacts of climate change on East Greenland, the Minister thanked Mr McConnico and the EEA for their efforts in raising the public awareness of environmental change.

“I think we are all aware that climate change is the biggest single challenge of our time. It is real and it is not going away. It will touch the lives of every man, woman and child in this country. I encourage people to attend this excellent exhibition,” Mr Gormley said.

Mr McConnico visited Tasiilaq, a town in East Greenland, in July 2007 to document the effects of climate change on the Arctic scenery and the local Inuit population living there. That summer Tasiilaq recorded a temperature of 22 degrees Celsius - the highest on record. Indeed, the Arctic is experiencing some of the highest increases in average temperatures globally and the local Inuit populations are already adapting to climate change.

The exhibition has been displayed at the EEA offices in Copenhagen since October last year. It has also travelled to the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. The current exhibition opened on 23 June at the Office of Public Works building in Dublin and may be visited until 11 July.

Address of the Office of Public Works: 51 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland

Links

• Irish Environmental Protection Agency – Press release on the exhibition
• John McConnico’s website