The most surreal image of the summer must be that photo of a couple watching a French wildfire out of control from beach deckchairs. It’s hard not to feel like a guilty spectator of catastrophe this summer – enjoying the beautiful weather at home while unbearable heat and mega-wildfires have been ravaging continental Europe.

According to climate scientists, these successive and extreme heatwaves would have been unthinkable in a world without climate change. So far, the heatwaves are estimated to have killed at least 10,000 people and cost grain farmers €2 billion in lost crops. And the summer is not over yet.

Ireland is by no means immune from climate risk: last week, the smoke from wildfires on Slievenamon in Co Tipperary smothered the county and neighbouring areas for a couple of days, and hosepipe bans are in place throughout the country. The average temperature this summer has been a couple of degrees higher than recent years, which again is a hallmark of climate change.

But Ireland is lucky that its relatively cool climate could make it an increasingly attractive destination for Irish holidaymakers as well as visitors seeking a break from extreme heat.

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