''Galway is just one of the many cities around the world which would be lost under rising sea levels within decades''.
A climate change activist group has painted markers around Galway City indicating how high they believe the sea level might rise within decades.
Members of Extinction Rebellion believe that large parts of Galway City could be underwater as soon as 2035.
To highlight those claims, members of the group have painted tide markers around the city at locations such as Spanish Arch.
They also provided illustrations of what the city could look like should said warnings be ignored, featuring Dock Road and where the Spanish Arch is located at the bottom of Quay Street.
“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,” a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion said.
In May 2018, the Minister of State for the Office of Public Works & Flood Relief, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran TD, launched a 10-year programme of €1 billion in investment in flood relief measures.
Just last month Ireland became the second country in the world to declare a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency.
“The paint is temporary, but the warming of our planet isn’t,” said one activist of the tide marks painted around Galway city.
“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.”
Extinction Rebellion will hold a ‘Pot Luck for the Planet’ event in Galway this Sunday, 23 June, from 1-4pm in Aras na nGael on Dominick Street in Galway city.
